3 embarrassing calls from refs in NY Giants win over the Vikings

As great as the action has been in the NFL postseason thus far, we simply can’t forget about how bad the officials have been. People are always going to complain about the refs, especially when your team loses. However, you can’t deny the fact that the teams in stripes have been abysmal thus far in the playoffs and things need to get better as soon as possible.

In the matchup between the NY Giants and Minnesota Vikings, the zebras without question had some moments to forget. When looking back at the action, there are three plays in particular that had supporters of both teams ready to pull out their hair.

3. Where was the hold on Kayvon Thibodeaux on the Vikings touchdown?

To start things off, how in the world can pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux continue to get assaulted in the trenches and not have a call go his way? This is something the No. 5 overall pick has gotten used to throughout the season and we are sick and tired of seeing him have to put up with it. This was once again showcased in the win over Minnesota.

On a Kirk Cousins touchdown pass to K.J. Osborn, offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw stepped in front of Thibodeaux and recorded textbook holding – he prevented Thibodeaux from getting to Cousins, but he did so in a way that 100 percent should have been penalized. Yet, somehow, no laundry hit the turf.

This gets more infuriating to watch each time you see it. Thibodeaux was in disbelief, yet the ref didn’t see what was right in front of him. Luckily, the Giants still came out on top and this didn’t become a much bigger topic of conversation. Despite that, there’s simply no way the refs can keep blowing these kinds of calls. It’s not fair to Thibodeuax at all.

2. Andrew Thomas definitely got away with a false start

In the spirit of keeping things fair and unbiased, we can understand why Vikings fans out there could be pretty ticked off as well. In the first half of this showdown, Daniel Jones was able to hit Isaiah Hodgins in stride for a big-time touchdown, putting the G-Men up 14-7. However, this one shouldn’t have happened either.

On this play, All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas clearly got off the line early. A false start should have been thrown and just about everyone at U.S. Bank Stadium expected the play to be called dead, including pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith. No whistle was ever blown, however, and Hodgins was able to celebrate his first postseason score.

Smith couldn’t believe his eyes. He looked to the side judge to see if he was going to throw a flag or not, taking his focus away from trying to put pressure on Danny Dimes. That was a big no-no on his part and Big Blue made him and Minnesota pay for it.

This false start is something the Minnesota faithful will be discussing for a while. Meanwhile for Big Blue Nation, they’re already on to Philly.

1. Roughing the passer called against Giants DL Dexter Lawrence

You already knew the Dexter Lawrence play was going to be No. 1 on our list. This wasn’t just the worst call from the Vikings-Giants showdown, or the Wild Card Round. Nope, this might be one of the worst calls you’ll ever see. With the game on the line and the Vikings pinned back deep in their own territory, Lawrence was flagged for roughing the passer.

On no planet should this EVER be called roughing the passer. Lawrence may have made slight contact with Cousins’ helmet, but he was hit with the 15-yard penalty for ‘throwing’ Cousins to the ground. We could watch the clip of Lawrence tackling Cousins 1,000,000 times and we’ll never be convinced this should be flagged.

This was such a terrible call that even Mike Pereira couldn’t believe what he was seeing on the live FOX broadcast. We understand that you need to protect that quarterback, but what was Lawrence expected to do on this play? Sexy Dexy even released Cousins to make sure he didn’t fall down in any kind of an agressive way. It’s not like he tossed him down with force or anything.

We’ve seen these roughing the passer penalties called during the regular season. They were inexcusable then and they’re even worse in the playoffs. Imagine had the Vikings gone down the field and scored to tie things up, or go for two to win it.

Then, Brian Daboll would have been even more livid than he was. Thankfully, Lawrence and Co. were able to stop the Vikings soon after that and seal the win, but the call overall was embarrassing. The refs must be better the rest of the way.

5 takeaways from the NY Giants incredible win over the Vikings

The New York Giants did the unthinkable and stunned the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round. Here's our takeaways from the action.