Blown call, OT field goal send Rams to Super Bowl

NFL admits blatant penalty overlooked in win over Saints

NEW ORLEANS - A big comeback. A blown call. And, finally, a booming kick that sent the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl.

After rallying from an early 13-0 deficit, the Rams stunned the New Orleans Saints with Greg Zuerlein's 57-yard field goal in overtime for a 26-23 victory in the NFC championship game on Sunday-an outcome that probably would not have been possible without an egregious mistake by the officials in the closing minutes of regulation.

Los Angeles cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman committed a blatant interference penalty with a helmet-to-helmet hit on Tommylee Lewis well before the pass arrived inside the five-yard line, forcing the Saints to settle for Wil Lutz's 31-yard field goal that made it 23-20 with 1:41 left in regulation.

"I went back to the sideline, looked at the football gods and was like, 'Thank you,'" Robey-Coleman said afterwards.

"I got away with one tonight. Oh, hell yeah .... that was PI," he told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.

Robey-Coleman laughed when reporters in the locker room showed him the video, and said he was supposed to be covering running back Alvin Kamara on the play. But he passed Kamara off to a safety, and made the game-deciding play.

"I just know I got there before the ball got there," Robey-Coleman said. "And I whacked him. I thought it was going to be a bang-bang play, but when I got up, I thought it was PI because I didn't look back for the ball."

After the non-call, Jared Goff had enough time to lead the Rams down the field for Zuerlein's tying field goal, a 48-yarder with 15 seconds remaining.

New Orleans won the coin toss and got the ball first in overtime. But, with Dante Fowler in his face and striking his arm, Drew Brees fluttered up a pass that was picked off by John Johnson III, who was able to hang on to the interception while stumbling backward.

The Rams weren't able to do much offensively, but it didn't matter. Zuerlein booted the winning field goal from just inside midfield with plenty of room to spare. The NFL said it was the longest game-winning kick in playoff history.

"It's unbelievable, man. I can't put it into words," said Goff, who at 24 became the youngest quarterback to win an NFC title.

"The defense played the way they did to force it to overtime. The defense gets a pick and Greg makes a 57-yarder to win it. That was good from about 70. Unbelievable."

The Superdome, which had been in uproar all afternoon, suddenly turned eerily silent. It was the first home playoff loss for the Saints with Brees and coach Sean Payton, who and been 6-0 in those games since their pairing began in 2006.

This one really hurt.

If the pass interference penalty had been called, the Saints could've run most of the time off the clock to set up a winning field goal from chip-shot range.

"Being that it happened right there in front of the person who would be the one to make the call, and everyone in the stands saw it, everyone watching at home on TV saw it, that makes it even more difficult to take," Brees said.

"Because of this, I'm sure there will be a lot of talk about reviewing penalties, perhaps game-changing penalties."

The Rams (15-3) and their 32-year-old coach, Sean McVay, capped a remarkable rise since moving back to Los Angeles three years ago. The team will be appearing in its first Super Bowl since 2001, when the Rams were based in St. Louis.

It was another bitter end for the Saints, who lost the previous season in the divisional round on the "Minnesota Miracle"-the Vikings' long TD strike on the game's final play.

This time, New Orleans (14-4) couldn't hang on to the lead or overcome that officiating mistake.

Payton said he talked to the NFL office after the game and was told Robey-Coleman should have been flagged.

"I don't know if there was ever a more obvious pass interference," the coach said.

Brees' future

The 40-year-old Brees made it clear he has no plans to retire.

"I plan on being here next year and making another run at it," said Brees, who was denied a shot at adding to the Super Bowl title he won during the 2009 season.

"Last year's loss really brought us together as a team and strengthened us," Brees said. "I hope this one will too."

Associated Press