WATCH: Minnesota Vikings Kicker Misses Field Goal After Ball Appears to Hit Camera Wire — and Refs Don’t Notice

(Press Association via AP Images)

A camera wire appeared to cost the Minnesota Vikings three points Sunday when the ball deflected off it and resulted in a missed field goal.

The Vikings took on the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings trailed 17-14 when the team sent out kicker Will Reichard to attempt a game-tying 51-yard field goal.

Reichard’s kick initially looked to be going right down the middle. Suddenly, however, it veered violently to the right and landed way outside the goalpost. Although the flags on top of the goalpost indicated there was a breeze moving in that direction, it was nowhere near severe enough to alter the trajectory of the ball like that.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared the ball hit one of the wires holding up the Skycam that gives viewers a bird’s-eye view of the action on the field.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, the referees didn’t notice the camera interference. If they did — as noted by ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio — the Vikings would have been given another attempt:

From the plain language of the rulebook, the proper outcome of a ball hitting the Skycam is a do-over: “[I]f a loose ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam, or any other object, the ball will be dead immediately, and the down will be replayed at the previous spot. In the event the down is replayed, the game clock will be reset to the time remaining when the snap occurred, and the clock will start on the All penalties will be disregarded, except for personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, which will be administered prior to the replaying of the down.”

Fortunately for the Vikings, the play ultimately didn’t determine the outcome of the game. The team eventually won 21-17 thanks to a game-sealing touchdown drive led by quarterback Carson Wentz.