New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has an explanation for his two failed fourth-quarter challenge decisions in Sunday's divisional-round loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
"Our monitor was down," Payton said on Monday, according to Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune. "Our booth was the only booth that didn't have a feed to it. So, you just got to go with your gut, and fortunately, it wasn't an issue with the timeouts."
There were no obvious spots for a challenge following his second failed attempt, and the lost timeouts didn't necessarily play a factor in the Vikings' last-second comeback, but the booth's inability to get a second look did impact Payton's two uncharacteristic throws of the red challenge flag.
Payton had not used both challenges in a game all season and he entered Sunday's contest with a 2-2 record.
The two calls for an official review came on the same Vikings drive, early in the final quarter. Wide receiver Jarius Wright's 27-yard catch was challenged and upheld, and three plays later, Payton erroneously believed quarterback Case Keenum's knee was down for a sack that could have forced the Vikings to punt instead of kicking a 49-yard field goal for a then 20-14 lead.
