January 20 marks a dark date for New Orleans Saints fans.
It reminds them of the day they were on the wrong end of one of the worst no-calls in National Football League history, a blatant robbery that kept them away from the Super Bowl.
Four years ago, Drew Brees threw a 10-yard pass to Tommylee Lewis on 3rd-and-10 with a little under two minutes left to play versus the Los Angeles Rams, and the score tied at 20.
The Saints needed that completion to set up 1st-and-goal and run out the clock to win the NFC Championship Game and punch their ticket to Super Bowl LII.
There, Rams CB Nickell Robey-Coleman committed one of the most blatant defensive pass interferences you would ever see, knocking down the helpless wideout with a huge tackle while never even attempting to go after the ball.
The stage was set, and the Saints would win.
Or would they?
Inexplicably, the referees didn’t throw a flag despite the obvious, clear, evident, and egregious DPI by Robey-Coleman, and regardless of Sean Payton‘s well-justified antics on the sidelines.
The Saints had to settle for a field goal and left the Rams just enough time on the clock to even up the score.
Then, Los Angeles advanced with a 26-23 overtime win.
4 years ago today, the #Saints suffered the biggest non-call in playoff history on the NFC Championship.#Rams CB Nickell Robey-Coleman committed unpenalized DPI on WR Tommylee Lewis near the end of regulation.
The Rams went on to win 26-23 in overtime.pic.twitter.com/uEhv5EP9Vj
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 20, 2023
While the Saints would still have to play for it, the referees pretty much robbed them of the chance to win their second Super Bowl ever in an epic matchup versus Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
This small, yet big call, could’ve changed NFL history forever.
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