@PurpleForTheWin on X
The Minnesota Vikings put together a late touchdown drive to come from behind and beat the Cleveland Browns in an NFL International Series game in London on Sunday.
But had they not done so, the league may well have had a major controversy on its hands.
Midway through the fourth quarter, with the Vikings trailing the Browns 17-14, Minnesota kicker Will Reichard stepped up to attempt a 51-yard field goal that would have tied the game.
Minnesota Vikings Field Goal Attempt Seeming Ricochets Off Skycam Wire
Reichard stepped up and hammered the kick, which looked be headed right down the middle before it took an abrupt right turn, eventually missing wide right by a good margin.
But a closer look at the field goal attempt seems to show the ball clip the wire used for the NFL Network’s Skycam.
Will The Thill Reichard’s 51-yard field goal attempt pretty clearly hit the wire. Causing it to go from being straight down the middle to violently veering to the right.
Would have resulted in a re-kick.
How did the officials/replay booth not see ANY of this? pic.twitter.com/ppOrcTqmGm
— Purple FTW! Podcast (@PurpleForTheWin) October 5, 2025
Neither Reichard nor the Vikings coaching staff objected to the miss. So it’s entirely possible the ball just took a sharp turn to the right. However, not only does the ball change direction mid-flight, it also seems to change its rotation immediately after the would-be contact with the wire.
If the ball did hit the wire, Reichard would be entitled to a second attempt at the kick via NFL rules. Instead, the game went on without a rekick, and Minnesota went on to win anyway.
A similar incident also occurred later in the day in the game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. On New York’s opening drive of the game, a Justin Fields pass bounced off a Dallas played and then off the Skycam wire before falling incomplete.
By rule, the down should’ve been replayed. Instead, the Jets went on to kick a field goal in a game they’d eventually lose, 37-22.
Both plays have since come under severe scrutiny from fans. Thankfully for the Vikings, theirs didn’t affect the outcome of the game. But the Jets weren’t so lucky, and an early touchdown could’ve changed the complexion of their eventual blowout loss.