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Questionable Officiating Surrounds Sam Darnold’s Minnesota Vikings Loss to LA Rams

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Questionable Officiating Surrounds Sam Darnold’s Minnesota Vikings Loss to LA Rams


Former USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings dropped their second consecutive game with a 30-20 road loss against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. The Vikings dropped to 5-2 overall, and the Rams, who got pivotal players like wide receivers Puka Nakua and Cooper Kupp back in action, moved to 3-4 and have their second straight win. The Thursday Night Football game was well played for the most part, but the game wasn’t without controversy.

The Rams led 28-20 with less than two minutes remaining on the clock in regulation, and the Vikings had the ball backed up on their five-yard line. On what would be the deciding play of the game, Sam Darnold was sacked in the endzone by defensive end Byron Young, resulting in a safety. However, the replay showed a blatant facemask penalty on Darnold that was missed. Young even threw his hands on his head, acknowledging the grave mistake he’d just made, yet no flag ever came out.

Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA;  Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) drops back to pass against the Rams

Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) drops back to pass against the against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“It is what it is. We could’ve done a lot to not put ourselves in the situation we were in. So, we’ve just got to continue to play better and not put ourselves in that position to begin with.” said Darnold in the post-game press conference. 

The NFL has had an officiating problem for years, but it’s these types of situations that especially drive spectators, players, and coaches alike to lose their minds. Statistically speaking, the odds were against the Minnesota Vikings driving the length of the field, scoring a touchdown, and also converting the two-point conversion successfully. That is immaterial, though. The Vikings were robbed of the opportunity to at least have the chance to do so.

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The former USC Trojan, Darnold played a solid ball game against a hungry Rams defense and pass-rush attack. Darnold was 18/25 for 240 yards and two touchdowns. The Vikings’ offense came out of the gate, firing on all cylinders and scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions. The offense only mustered two field goals after that. One in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter. Darnold was sacked three times and pressured a handful of other snaps.

Starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw left the game with a leg injury right before halftime, and the ramifications were felt as the Rams’ pass rush imposed its will on Darnold and the Vikings’ pass protection. It was a tough loss for the Vikings, but the season is far from over. Sam Darnold has played well enough to prove he’s the man to lead the Vikings. The team simply has to take advantage of its opportunities in crunch time. 

They’ll have an extended break after playing on a short week. The Vikings need it as they’re banged up, but everything is still in front of them as a team. 

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Minnesota investigators say child care centers captured in viral video were operating as expected

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Minnesota investigators say child care centers captured in viral video were operating as expected


A video by a right-wing content creator accusing several Somali-owned child care centers in Minnesota of fraud went viral and led to compliance checks by Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families. The agency says they were operating normally, except for one that was not yet open when investigators arrived.



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Game Recap: Kings 5, Wild 4 (S/O) | Minnesota Wild

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Game Recap: Kings 5, Wild 4 (S/O) | Minnesota Wild


Matt Boldy scored late in the third to tie it and ultimately send the game to overtime, helping the Wild (25-10-8) extend their point streak to six games (3-0-3). Brock Faber had a goal and an assist, Jake Middleton and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored, and Jesper Wallstedt made 34 saves.

It was the second game of a back-to-back for Minnesota, which is coming off a 5-2 win at the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. The Wild and Kings will play again in Los Angeles on Monday.

“It was far from perfect of a game from us,” Faber said. “I thought we could have played better. With that quick turnaround, we’ll take the point. Now we need two in the next.”

Kempe put the Kings up 1-0 at 6:08 of the first period, scoring on a wrist shot from close range off Anze Kopitar’s cross-slot pass from below the goal line.

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Middleton tied it up 1-1 at 8:28, getting his first goal of the season in 36 games on a snap shot from the left circle set up by Mats Zuccarello.

“I think he thought I was Kirill (Kaprizov) in the slot there, so it was nice to get one,” Middleton joked. “I normally have a few goals before I take 35 games off from scoring, so this one was getting a little stressful but we got it out of the way.”

Perry gave Los Angeles a 2-1 lead at 16:57 of the second period when Byfield’s shot struck him in the wrist and redirected in for the power-play goal.

Eriksson Ek tied it 2-2 at 18:23 on the power play, taking Quinn Hughes’ stretch pass at the offensive blue line for a short breakaway, fending off defenseman Joel Edmundson and scoring on a wrist shot from the left circle.

Byfield put Los Angeles back in front 3-2 at 4:54 of the third period. He shot the puck caroming off the boards back into the crease, where Wallstedt lost it in his skates and it was eventually knocked in by a Wild stick during the ensuing scramble in front.

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“Shouldn’t be, that was terrible,” Byfield joked when asked if he knew it was his goal. “No, it’s good. I think it’s two now that were liked that, so I’ll take them how they come.”



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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on the defensive as fraud allegations mount after viral video uncovered Somali aid scheme

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on the defensive as fraud allegations mount after viral video uncovered Somali aid scheme


Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pushed back against the ever-growing fraud allegations levied against him in the disastrous aftermath of a viral video where an independent journalist cracked open a crucial part of the alleged Somali aid scheme.

A spokesperson for Walz, a Democrat who frequently provokes President Trump’s ire, addressed a bombshell video posted by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley.

“The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action. He has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed,” the spokesperson told Fox News.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz listens during a hearing with the House Oversight and Accountability Committee at the US Capitol on June 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. Getty Images

The spokesperson added that Walz has “hired an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program entirely, announced a new statewide program integrity director, and supported criminal prosecutions.”

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In the 43-minute video published on Friday, Shirley and a Minnesotan named David travel around Minneapolis and visit multiple childcare and learning centers allegedly owned by Somali immigrants.

Many were either shuttered entirely, despite signage indicating they were open, or helmed by staff who refused to participate in the video.

YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a mega-viral video on Friday uncovering new parts of the alleged Somali aid scheme. X / Nick Shirley

One of the buildings they visited displayed a misspelled sign reading “Quality Learing Center.” The ‘learning’ center is supposed to account for at least 99 children and funneled roughly $4 million in state funds, according to the video.

Shirley appeared on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show” on Sunday evening and boasted about his findings. He joked that the alleged scheme was “so obvious” that a “kindergartener could figure out there is fraud going on.”

“Fraud is fraud, and we work too hard simply just to be paying taxes and enabling fraud to be happening,” Shirley said.

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Shirley was kicked out for trespassing in one of the centers. X / Nick Shirley
Shirley joked that the alleged scheme was “so obvious” that a “kindergartener could figure out there is fraud going on. X / Nick Shirley

“There better be change. People are demanding it. The investigation have been launched just from that video alone. So there better be change, like I said we work way too hard to be paying taxes and not knowing where our money’s going,” he added.

Many officials have echoed Shirley’s calls for change, with FBI Director Kash Patel even announcing that the agency surged extra personnel to investigate the resources doled out to Minnesota. He said this is one of the first steps in a wide-reaching effort to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was fielding additional personnel to investigate fraud in Minnesota. FNTV

Federal investigators say half of the $18 billion granted to Minnesota since 2018 could have been stolen by fraudulent schemes — amounting to up to $9 billion in theft.

As of Saturday evening, 86 people have been charged in relation to these fraud scams, with 59 convicted so far.

Most of those accused of fraud come from Minnesota’s Somali community.

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Shirley’s mega-viral video cracked 100 million views Sunday night.



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