The New Orleans Saints were robbed of a berth to Super Bowl LIII by one of the worst non-calls in NFL playoff history in Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis was decked by Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman well before the ball got to the two players. It was an obvious penalty, either pass interference or contact to the head. No penalty was called, however, and instead of killing the rest of the clock, the Saints settled for a field goal with enough time for the Rams to force overtime. The Rams ultimately tied the game with a field of their own on the ensuing drive, then won in OT on another field goal following an interception of Drew Brees.
Here's a look at the incredible non-call:
You can bet this blown call will be compared to another historic call in NFL playoff history known as the "tuck rule" from the 2001 AFC Divisional Round game between the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. Former Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson, who hit Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and forced him to fumble on that fateful play, gave his take on the Saints-Rams call in the tweet below.
It's hard to argue with Woodson there. Saints players and fans are going to be extremely upset over that call for a long, long time, and who can blame them?
The Rams, meanwhile, are headed to the Super Bowl, where they will play the New England Patriots or Kansas City Chiefs.
New England Patriots
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.