Seahawks D-Lineman Claims He Only Scraped Sam Darnold’s Facemask… So Let’s Take a Look
On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings knocked off the Seattle Seahawks, to move to 13-2 on the season. Next up, the Vikings will host the Green Bay Packers, before finishing 2024-25 vs the Detroit Lions, possibly with a first seed in the NFC playoff bracket on the line.
But first, they had to get passed Seattle, on the road. After the Vikings jumped out to an early 17-7 lead, the Seahawks charged back, and the contest was very back-and-forth, in the second half. But a late touchdown drive by Geno Smith & Co, put Seattle up 24-20, with under 5 minutes remaining.
Minnesota Vikings beat Seahawks on another Sam Darnold comeback
Thus, Sam Darnold was forced to orchestrate another last minute comeback, something he has already done multiple times this season. So, the former No. 3 overall pick took the football and led Minnesota on a 4-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that ended in this beautiful Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson TD, and a 27-24 lead for the Minnesota Vikings.
Darnold making this throw, reading a need to step up in the pocket, knowing he was about to get leveled, is unreal. pic.twitter.com/24v7m6asZC
— Ted (@tlschwerz) December 23, 2024
But earlier in that same drive, Sam Darnold dropped back on 2nd and 10, where he was sacked by Seattle defensive lineman Byron Murphy, which should have lined up a 3rd and 18, from inside Minnesota’s own 25-yard-line.
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Instead, the Vikings were awarded a first down on the 39-yard-line, after a 15 yard penalty, after the Seahawks rookie was called for a facemask penalty on Darnold. On the replay, you can see Murphy grab the facemask with his left hand, then use it to help pull Sam down to the ground.
Here's Seahawks DL Byron Murphy "just scraping" Sam Darnold's facemask yesterday… 😂🤥 pic.twitter.com/c6vd8bYzaq
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 23, 2024
After the game, Byron Murphy met with reporters, where he caused a bit of a stir, regarding the penalty that was called against him on that 2nd and 10 play. He told gathered media members inside the locker room that he only “scraped” Sam Darnold’s facemask, and never actually grabbed it.
Byron Murphy denies grabbing Darnold’s facemask
Maybe Murphy had not yet seen a replay. Maybe he was having an out of body experience. Most likely, he is being thick-headed, not wanting to admit a mistake that badly hurt his football team, and may have even cost a win against the Minnesota Vikings.
Ticked rookie DT Byron Murphy says of the facemask penalty he got while sacking Sam Darnold on 3rd down the play before Minnesota’s game-winning TD pass to Jefferson: “Bull-shit call.”
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) December 23, 2024
Said he didn’t grasp the QB’s face mask, just grazed it with his hand, arm @thenewstribune pic.twitter.com/tSlCHFFUli
“I just feel like it was some BS. I never grabbed it. I just scraped his facemask and they ended up calling it. I just feel like it was a bullshit call. It is what it is.”
Byron Murphy on his facemask penalty (The News Tribune on X)
Earlier this season, the Minnesota Vikings took a loss to the Los Angeles Rams. That game included a late no-call facemask penalty on Sam Darnold that would have kept the purple’s final drive alive. Maybe those refs agreed with Murphy’s definition of a facemask penalty… because this one was nearly as egregious. Thankfully, the referees on Sunday afternoon brought their glasses and flags to work.
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On the season Murphy has 34 tackles and a half-sack. He has a pair of tackles for loss and a quarterback hit as well. The 16th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft from Texas has had a solid rookie year. That doesn’t mean he isn’t certifiably crazy for trying to defend himself, here.
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