Oh, How Strange Instant Replay Is

Tonight, the Washington Redskins beat the Minnesota Vikings 32-21 to seize control of the race for the final playoff spot in the NFC. If the Redskins beat the Dallas Cowboys next week in Washington, they're in. To be honest, the game wasn't as close as the score would indicate. The Redskins dominated it for three and a half quarters, and the final score should have been much more lopsided. There were some tense moments in the first half of the fourth quarter, however. The Vikings scored a touchdown to bring the score to 25-14. On the next possession, Redskins quarterback completed a pass to receiver Santana Moss down the sideline for 23 yards. It was questionable whether Moss got both feet down, and the Redskins rushed to get a play off before the Vikings could challenge the play and have it reviewed via instant replay. Collins fumbled the rushed snap, and the Vikings recovered. It looked like the game might completely turn around, but the Redskins' coaches noticed that the Vikings had 12 men on the field. They challenged the play, and instant replay confirmed that the Vikings were guilty of having too many men. The Redskins got the ball back and eventually scored a touchdown to put the game out of reach. So the fumble that was caused by a rushed snap to prevent an instant replay review was reversed by an instant replay review.