Darius Slay sealed a Detroit Lions’ victory with an interception in the final minute that set up a game-winning field goal against the Minnesota Vikings, but officials chose not to take a closer look at what appeared to have possibly been a fumble by the cornerback.
Lions last-minute interception seals the game after booth review
A replay official confirmed the ruling on the field, even if it didn’t appear as though officials reviewed a game-winning interception.
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
When Slay intercepted Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford at the 33-yard line, he returned the pass 13 yards before he was tackled. During the tackle, the ball was ripped loose, but the nearest official immediately ruled that Slay’s knee was down.
Officials never stopped play to take a closer look at the possible fumble, which drew questions from CBS announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, and the Vikings called a timeout to allow more time for a possible review. But the reality is that officials did review the play and thought it was obvious enough not to warrant a closer look.
According to NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino, a replay official confirmed the ruling before the Lions ran another play to set up a game-winning field goal. Blandino later explained the review process in a video posted to Twitter:
Slay had no doubts about what happened:
With the victory, the Lions improved to 7-4 and Matthew Stafford tied the record for most fourth-quarter comebacks in a season.
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