Third and ten. One minute and 45 seconds left on the clock in the NFC Championship Game, with the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams locked up at 20 a piece. Saints Quarterback Drew Brees stepped back in the pocket and lobbed a ball to receiver Tommylee Lewis. As Lewis looked up, trying to track the incoming ball, Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman delivered a blistering shot to the head of Lewis, knocking him out of the air. The Ref threw the flag for pass interference (PI), and the Saints got the ball inside the Rams ten yard line with a minute and change left on the clock. Brees took a knee to run the clock, and kicker Wil Lutz knocked through a short field goal to win the game and send the Saints to their second Super Bowl.

Except… that’s not what happened. As Lewis went flying into the air, the crowd erupted, and the Saints, and Rams, awaited the inevitable penalty flag. But it never came. Even the defender, Nickell Robey-Coleman, admitted it was a penalty.

“I thought it was P.I., because I didn’t look back for the ball,” Robey-Coleman said, according to The Washington Post. The blown call resulted in a fourth and ten for New Orleans, forcing them to kick a field goal with plenty of time for the Rams to come back and tie it, which is what they did. The Rams would then go on to win the game 26-23 in overtime, advancing to The Super Bowl.

The horrific display of reffing resulted in public outrage, prompting many prominent figures including Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and all time basketball great LeBron James to take to twitter to complain about the call. 

Even the NFL itself called to apologize to New Orleans head coach Sean Payton, saying that it was indeed a pass interference. Apart from the missed pass interference call, the refs also missed the fact that Robey-Coleman slammed the crown of his helmet into that of Tommylee Lewis, which should have been a targeting penalty. That hit was so bad that the NFL later fined Robey-Coleman nearly $27,000 for it. But the refs still couldn’t make the call. 

The absolute incompetency of the referee staff brought up more questions about them and their background. Four of the refs on the field were from the Los Angeles area, sparking conspiracy theories about the possible rigging of the game.

Regardless, one of the worst no-calls in NFL history on one of the most blatant pass interferences in NFL history in one of the most crucial moments in the game will not soon be forgotten by NFL fans, and will cast a negative light on The Super Bowl. While the majority of the country would usually root against the New England dynasty led by 41-year-old Quarterback Tom Brady, the outcome of the championship game has cast a bad light on the Rams, and a fair amount of America would be perfectly fine if nobody were to win Super Bowl LIII.