The beloved “Skycam” found itself the center of multiple controversies on Sunday.
During the fourth quarter of the NFL International Series game in London between the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns, Vikings kicker Will Reichard appeared to strike a cable during a field goal attempt, which subsequently pushed the ball wide-right. Had the kick gone through the uprights, the Vikings would’ve tied the game.
Unfortunately for Reichard and the Vikings, no one noticed the cable altering the kick’s trajectory until later in the day. Had it been noticed in real-time, the down would’ve been replayed and Reichard would receive another attempt.
The Vikings went on to win the game despite the Skycam snafu, but the incident raised questions about how such an incident can be missed. After all, those three points could have easily been the difference between winning and losing.
According to the NFL, replay officials simply didn’t have a “clear view” of the kick, and therefore didn’t alert the officials for a possible replay of the down.
Appearing on Football Night in America, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio relayed the NFL’s response to viewers. “Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL concluded that it had no clear view of the ball striking the cable,” Florio wrote on his site.
Strangely, later in the day, a deflected pass during the Dallas Cowboys-New York Jets game hit the Skycam head-on. Again, neither the officials nor the teams noticed, and the pass was simply ruled incomplete. Had either party noticed, the down would have been replayed, as is protocol in these situations.
Sunday proved to be a tough day for Skycam operators in the NFL. Hopefully, this isn’t the beginning of a trend.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.