CNN
—

A controversial late missed penalty overshadowed the Los Angeles Rams’ impressive 30-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football.

With just over 90 seconds left in LA’s SoFi Stadium and the Rams leading by eight, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold appeared to pass from his own end zone as he tried to start a comeback.

Darnold was tackled in his own end zone by Rams linebacker Byron Young for a sack and a safety to make it a 10-point game, but TV replays showed Young had grabbed Darnold’s face mask and twisted his head in an awkward manner .

The Vikings team and sideline were outraged by what they thought was a missed facemask penalty call that would have allowed Minnesota to continue its drive, with receiver Justin Jefferson slamming his helmet on the ground in frustration. The Rams would win by that 10-point margin.

After the match, head official Tra Blake said the incident was not penalized because none of his officiating crew had clearly looked into it.

“The quarterback was looking in the opposite direction from me, so I couldn’t get a good look at it,” Blake told a pool reporter after the game, according to ESPN. “I didn’t look and obviously I didn’t see the mask being taken off.”

“The referee had players between him and the quarterback, so he couldn’t get a good look at it,” Blake said. “He was also blocked. So that was the point. We didn’t see it, so we couldn’t mention it.”

Blake also added that it was not a negotiable moment.

During the broadcast, commentator Kirk Herbstreit said that Young “absolutely” grabbed Darnold’s facemask and that the linebacker “got away with it.” Al Michaels agreed, adding that Vikings fans might exclaim “what the hell” after the missed call.

Afterwards, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said he thought Young “got a pretty good amount of (Darnold’s) facemask there.”

“(I’m) not going to comment on the call or no call. “I told our officiating team that it’s not for us to talk about all those things, that it’s not the way we’re going to respond to this if we’re looking for comfort,” he told reporters.

“It’s just not going to happen and I’m going to do the same now. I actually have no comment on whether it was a piece of face mask, but they didn’t think so. They didn’t wave the flag.”

The controversial ending came after a tense match with both teams moving the ball at will.

The Rams were boosted by the return of their two-star wide receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, after missing both weeks due to injury.

Their addition to the starting lineup seemed to open everything up for Rams QB Matthew Stafford, who threw four touchdown passes: one to Kupp, one to Kyren Williams and two to Damarcus Robinson. Running back Williams also rushed for 97 yards on the ground.

Kupp and Nacua combined for 12 receptions for 157 yards – including sophomore Nacua with 107 yards – as the Rams scored a season-high 30 points against the vaunted Viking defense.

Afterwards, Stafford talked about the importance of having his top targets back in the lineup as the Rams improved to 3-4 on the season.

“It’s what you envisioned (for this offense) when training camp started and it’s nice to have those guys back,” Stafford told reporters. “I said it before, but I really think it was great for our whole team. Obviously it was great for our offense.

“I was so happy and proud to have those guys back on the grass with us, but also really big for our defense, our special teams, (because) everyone feels that when those guys are back.”

It was a special win for Rams head coach Sean McVay, who became the franchise’s all-time leader in wins (80).

For the Vikings, it was their second loss in four days after starting the season 5-0. Perhaps more concerning for Minnesota, however, is the potentially serious injury suffered by star left tackle Christian Darrisaw.

Darrisaw is one of the best at his position in the league and was ruled out of the rest of the match after picking up an injury late in the first half.