Let me get this out of the way: the Vikings didn't deserve to beat the Browns on Sunday. They simply didn't play well enough, particularly on offense, to put themselves in a position to win. It wasn't the Browns beating them or the referees deciding it; they lost that game because of the way they played.
With that said, two questionable decisions by the refs stand out after the game as moments that could've swung things in the other direction.
The first one was a defensive holding call on Eric Kendricks in the second quarter, which set up the Browns' only touchdown.
With just over 90 seconds left in the half, Cleveland faced 4th and goal from the Vikings' 2-yard line. They had already been stopped on 4th down at the Vikings' 6 earlier in the game, and it looked like Mike Zimmer's defense came through again. Baker Mayfield rolled to the right sideline and fired an incomplete pass towards tight end David Njoku.
But Kendricks was flagged for holding Donovan Peoples-Jones in the middle of the end zone. There was some contact as People-Jones changed directions, but not a ton. See for yourself (top left of the screen):
There's a bit of a grab from Kendricks, but again, it's not egregious. That call probably could've gone either way.
The penalty gave the Browns new life and after a couple unsuccessful plays, Kareem Hunt punched in a one-yard touchdown run. Cleveland went for two and took an 8-7 lead, which became an 11-7 lead at halftime.
The second questionable decision by the officials was a no-call on the final play of the game. Trailing 14-7, the Vikings' struggling offense was able to move the ball down to the Browns' 26-yard line for one final play. Kirk Cousins rolled to his left and threw it in the direction of Adam Thielen, but it fell harmlessly short.
However, replay showed that Thielen was obstructed from having a chance to go and attempt to make the catch.
Longtime NFL referee and current Sunday Night Football rules analyst Terry McAulay thinks the call was missed.
If that was flagged for DPI, the Vikings would've had an untimed down from the Cleveland 1-yard line with a chance to tie the game.
Again, those two plays aren't the reason the Vikings lost. They played extremely poorly on offense after their opening drive. There are also other ref calls that can be debated, including a roughing the passer against the Browns earlier in the game.
But that call on Kendricks and the non-call to end it were huge moments in this game. It was a frustrating loss for the Vikings, who had countless opportunities to tie the score or take the lead. They've been in all four games this year, and could theoretically be 4-0 if certain plays had gone their way. But that's not how sports work, and they're left with a 1-3 hole that they now must find a way to climb out of.
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