Questionable officiating continues to haunt Saints vs. Vikings

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Oct 2, 2022 1:51 PM ET

Death, taxes, and NFL referees terrorizing the New Orleans Saints and their fans. At this point, those seem to be the only constants in life, especially following one particular sequence in the fourth quarter of the Saints game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Up 22-19 and on defense, the Saints were called multiple penalties on third downs that resulted in automatic first downs for the Vikings.

Former Saint running back Reggie Bush was one of several people to lament the questionable nature of the calls, pointing out cornerback Marshon Lattimore's iffy pass interference call against Adam Thielen.

On the play, the two were clearly interfering with each other, as Thielen grabbed a handful of Lattimore's facemask while the two ran downfield. Mike Perreira, a former referee who provided analysis of the officiating throughout the game, said in his opinion that should have been a play where no flag was thrown considering both parties appeared to be equally at fault.

Earlier on the drive, another third down penalty against safety Tryann Mathieu was also highly questionable, as NFL reporter Albert Breer asserted.

In his postgame press conference, head coach Dennis Allen made mention of the calls without saying anything that could serve as a potential fine.

For the game, five of the Vikings' 23 first-downs came via Saints' penalties. As for the Saints, they had zero first downs due to Vikings' penalties.

While the calls Sunday were questionable at best, penalties have been a problem all season, and they haven't all been the result of poor officiating. Heading into Sunday's game, the Saints were flagged 24 times, tied for second most in the league. Against the Vikings, they were flagged ten times for 102 yards, compared to the five penalties for 35 yards issued to the Vikings.

And while that could be excused if the team was operating at a high level in every other area, they simply aren't. The offensive complacency, and the breakdowns in coverage, when paired with the team's foul troubles, are possible signs that the team is lacking the attention to detail that defined the Sean Payton era.

The referees didn't help the Saints on the field, but their questionable calls may help Allen and the rest of the Saints' coaching staff from receiving more of the blame for the team's 1-3 start.

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