Vikings fan dresses kids as Sam Darnold missed facemask for Halloween

MINNEAPOLIS – Megan Gangnon is a diehard Minnesota Vikings fan, and she turned the latest loss that ended in controversy into a Halloween costume.

The Vikings trailed the L.A. Rams 28-20 in the fourth quarter on Thursday Night Football when Sam Darnold was sacked in the end zone for a safety. Byron Young clearly grabs Darnold’s facemask to get the sack, but referee Tra Blake is just feet away and completely misses the call. He said after the game none of the officials had a good view of it, so no flag was thrown.

The Vikings lost 30-20.

The costume

Gangnon decided to have fun with it, and dressed her three kids up as the play for Halloween. One is a “blind” referee with sunglasses. Another is Danrold with his helmet sideways, while the other child is grabbing the helmet. It’s brilliant.

Why it matters

The Vikings, if they get the penalty, would’ve had the ball at their own 20-yard line with 90 seconds to play and a fresh set of downs. But they needed 80 yards for a touchdown, and a two-point conversion, to force overtime. Just days before, WNBA officials missed a blatant travel on Breanna Stewart and called a controversial foul on Alanna Smith as the Minnesota Lynx lost Game 5 of the WNBA Finals to the New York Liberty.