The NFL needs to make fouls with face masks reviewable

The Rams probably would have won anyway. But the way the door was slammed on the Vikings is a clear and obvious reminder of one of the biggest flaws in the league's current replay system.

Contamination from face masks still cannot be checked.

It is one of the original safety rules, adopted long before the NFL's disclosure regarding player health. At some point, the league abandoned the distinction between major and minor fouls (five-yard fouls) and made any grabbing and pulling of the opponent's facemask a personal foul – 15 yards and an automatic first down.

So why was it never retested? It takes little time to realize that it has happened. The evidence is always clear and obvious. And if officials fail to recognize this in time, the consequences can be devastating.

On Thursday night, the officials' failure to see that Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold's face mask had been grabbed and pulled over the game-cementing safety prevented any chance Minnesota had of driving down the field and forcing overtime.

Had the foul been called, the Vikings would have had a first down at their own 20 with 1:36 to play.

Consider how retesting has expanded over the years. More and more things that were not verifiable have become verifiable. And with the recent increase in replay support, the NFL is doing more than ever to support the people in black and white, who have a very different view of what's happening on the field than the rest of us.

If something like this is overlooked, it can be quickly remedied. However, since the rules continue to prevent the review of face mask requests, nothing could be done.

Even in a scoring game (which can always be verified), a face mask cannot be verified because it can never be verified.

Thursday night's mistake didn't just screw the Vikings. This deprived the league and fans of the chance to see whether the Vikings could drive the length of the field, score a touchdown, convert a two-point try and force overtime.

And since the NFL fully embraces anything involving gambling, people who had bet their money on the Vikings winning encountered a nonsensical error in the rules that prematurely decided the outcome of the bet. And yes, at some point such a result will pose a big problem for the league.

Hopefully this will be the example that forces change. Hopefully someone will report on Friday that the competition committee will discuss in the offseason whether to make non-fouls with face masks reviewable.

What speaks against it? (I'll wait.) Nobody can say it will slow down the game. When it happens, it's obvious. And it's obvious that the NFL has failed to address something that should have been addressed a long time ago. Whether it's player safety, competition fairness, betting integrity or some combination of the three, it has to happen.

While the NFL is typically reluctant to change the rules during a given season, that should change now. As long as the error persists, there is a chance that it will occur again.

What happens if it happens in crunch time of a postseason game? What if it decided the Super Bowl?

While that's unlikely to change now (even if it does), it definitely needs to change in the offseason. Failure to do so amounts to (ongoing) misconduct on the part of the league.

What speaks against it?

I'll wait.