Another Mishap Sends The Wrong Team To The Superbowl

I know we all witnessed arguably the most competitive playoff game this year when the Saints took on the Vikings at the Superdome.

The game went down to the wire. In the end reviewing game tape there were many controversial calls that could have ended the Saints season and sent the Vikings to the Superbowl. However that wasn't the case. Who would have ever guessed the game played into the hands of the referee’s rather than the players themselves? I didn’t see it coming, and here are the questionable calls that advanced the undeserving Saints.

Saints, 4^th and inches on MI 43

The Saints in overtime were just stopped short and needed a crucial first down to keep the ball out of Brett Favre’s hands. The Saints ran a set run play to Pierre Thomas up the middle and he jumped over the crowd and got the first down. However when slowed up, you can see that Pierre Thomas indeed crossed the plain with his helmet but the ball was in his mid-section due to the fact that Chad Greenway met him at the line and hit the ball back. If in fact the referees would have caught this, they would’ve gave the Vikings the ball back on their 43 yard line. Instead they kept the Saints drive going.

Saints 1^st and 10 on MI 41

Saints quarterback Drew Brees scrambled around in the pocket trying to avoid the sack, and threw up a pass to his TE David Thomas and forced a pass interference call on Vikings LB Ben Leber. I don’t know about you but I seen a quarterback trying to avoid a sack and throw a non catchable ball and the referees bailed him out with a horrible defensive pass interference penalty. Once again another controversial call that kept the Saints marching closer to a Superbowl birth.

Saints, 2^nd and 15 on MI 34

The Saints dropped back; Brees threw a pass to Robert Meachem that he bobbled before he caught it. In the replay it clearly showed that the ball was touching the ground as Meachem hosted it onto his hip. Now this call was the dagger. This put them in chip-shot field goal range, and allowed the Saints to defeat the Vikings and head to their first ever Superbowl.

So what were the refs seeing this game?

This isn’t the first time the referee’s made horrible calls to advance the wrong teams. One being in the Arizona game, when Aaron Rodgers dropped back and Michael Adams clearly had a handful of face mask. What would’ve happened if the refs made the right calls?

Would we be seeing Aaron Rodgers in the Superbowl, or perhaps the Vikings? The Vikings deserved to win, despite the six turnovers. This loss definitely will sting the heart of the Vikings as well as the Viking nation.

Lucky breaks for the Saints and bad for the Vikings set up an offensive duel in the Superbowl between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.