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Confirmed: Vikings Kicker Robbed by Stadium Cable and NFL Replay
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- Confirmed: Vikings Kicker Robbed by Stadium Cable and NFL Replay
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings played like garbage for most of their 21-17 victory on Sunday morning in London, over the Cleveland Browns . Luckily, when the season comes to an end, the only thing that matters is how big the number in the win column is, not how you got there.
And going into their bye, with 12 games remaining on their 2025 regular season schedule , the Vikings have more wins (3) than they do losses (2). Still, nothing came easy for the "away" team on Sunday.
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In fact, there were moments in the second half on Sunday where it felt like the football gods had something against the MN Vikings, a feeling that hit its peak early on in the 4th quarter, when Will Reichard missed a 51 yard field goal WILD right that would have tied the game at 17.
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Here was how Reichard's "miss" looked in real time pic.twitter.com/OXMlOcWEQ3
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 5, 2025
Or did he. Shortly after the game moved on out in London, social media detectives quickly started breaking down the film in slow motion , where it appeared to show that Reichard's kick hit a cable hanging over the field at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which is why the ball took a sudden turn to the right.
Will Reichard's kick blocked by stadium cable
There weren't a lot of clear shots on the internet and sources tell Ben Goessling (Star Tribune) that NFL's replay assist "did not see a view that showed #Vikings kicker Will Reichard's fourth-quarter field goal hitting a wire". But just to be sure, I took it upon myself to do what the league apparently couldn't.
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I slowed down the tape in high definition, where I quickly realized that beyond the cable itself, bad camerawork was Will Reichard's worst enemy on this kick. When the ball goes up, it takes off above the camera shot. But when slowed way down, you can see the ball hit the cable immediately when it comes back into the frame.
Took a look back at the Will Reichard "missed" field goal myself (in HD since it's 2025)… and there's no doubt the British cable screwed him. pic.twitter.com/y0VEFVgSg4
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 5, 2025
If your eyes aren't very good and you still aren't convinced, the cable aggressively swinging back and forth, as the ball magically changes mid-air from end-over-end into a sideways tailspin and its flight path takes a hard turn right.
Without a doubt, that football smoked that cable, and I have little doubt that it would have been comfortably inside the right upright, had that cable not impeded its original path. No matter, the official record will show that this "miss" was the first of Reichard's season, moving him to 8-for-9 entering the week 7 bye .
Related: Minnesota Vikings WR in Trouble Again?
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Back at the NFL replay offices in New York, someone needs a very serious job review on Monday. Had the replay officials there noticed the cable's interference, like Twitter did, then Will Reichard would have gotten a chance to rekick.
Thankfully, this botched no-call didn't cost the Minnesota Vikings a victory on Sunday. But in a game as close as this one was, it sure as hell could have.
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