2018 NFC Championship Game vs Los Angeles Rams

The 2018 NFC Championship Game took place on January 20, 2019, deciding which team would represent the conference in Super Bowl LIII. The Los Angeles Rams, playing on the road, beat the New Orleans Saints 26–23 in sudden death overtime. The game is remembered for a controversial missed call late in regulation: Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman committed pass interference against Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis, but no flag was thrown. This became known as the "NOLA No-Call."

The Saints entered as slight favorites. They held the NFC’s top seed, home-field advantage at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and had beaten the Rams earlier in the regular season. Both teams finished 13–3, but New Orleans owned the head-to-head tiebreaker. The game was tight, tied at 20 in the fourth quarter. With under two minutes left, the Saints drove to the Rams’ 13-yard line. The uncalled interference stopped their momentum. If flagged, New Orleans could have run more time off the clock or scored a go-ahead touchdown to essentially seal the win. Instead, they kicked a field goal with 1:41 left. The Rams matched that with a field goal of their own, forcing overtime. The Saints won the coin toss and took possession first, but quarterback Drew Brees threw an interception. Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein then hit the winning field goal.

The no-call sparked fierce backlash, especially in New Orleans. Fans there pushed for the game to be replayed and boycotted the Super Bowl. The NFL and Robey-Coleman both admitted a penalty should have been called, but commissioner Roger Goodell called it human error by the referees, not enough to overturn the result. In response, the NFL allowed coaches to challenge pass interference calls starting in 2019, but reversed that rule after one season.

The Rams had just finished their third season back in Southern California, after leaving Los Angeles in 1994 and spending 21 years in St. Louis. Before the 2016 season, they used the first overall draft pick on quarterback Jared Goff. Under head coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams lost 11 of their final 12 games in 2016, with Goff losing the last seven. Fisher was fired, and 30-year-old Sean McVay was hired, becoming the youngest modern-era NFL head coach. McVay turned the team around in 2017: the Rams went 11–5, won the NFC West for the first time since 2003, and made the playoffs for the first time since 2004, with improved play from Goff and running back Todd Gurley. They lost at home in the wild-card round to the Atlanta Falcons.

The Saints had more experience at head coach and quarterback. Drew Brees, an 11-time Pro Bowler, was in his 13th season as New Orleans’ starter, and Sean Payton was in his 12th season as head coach. They won Super Bowl XLIV in 2009, the franchise’s first, and had reached the playoffs six times entering 2018, but not the NFC Championship Game since that Super Bowl win. In 2017, the Saints went 11–5, beat the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round, then lost to the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round on a last-second touchdown known as the Minneapolis Miracle. The 2018 season was seen as the last and best chance for Brees and Payton to reach another Super Bowl, since Brees would turn 41 by the next one and quarterback performance often declines at that age.

Both teams improved from 11–5 to 13–3 in 2018, winning their divisions for the second straight year. The Saints earned the No. 1 seed and the Rams the No. 2 seed, giving each a first-round bye. They met in Week 9. The Rams started 8–0, while the Saints began 7–1.

New Orleans built an 18-point halftime lead, with Michael Thomas gaining 211 receiving yards. The Rams fought back, but Jared Goff threw a critical interception in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Thomas scored a 72-yard touchdown and imitated Joe Horn’s infamous cellphone celebration, taunting the Rams. He was fined $30,000 for excessive celebration, and several Rams players expressed anger over his antics.

After the game, Sean Payton said he liked the matchup of Rams cornerback Marcus Peters covering Thomas, adding “a lot.” Peters responded, “Tell Sean Payton to keep talking that shit… We’re going to see him soon, you feel me? … We’re going to have a nice little bowl of gumbo together.” The Saints won 45–35, taking the tiebreaker with both teams at 8–1. New Orleans lost control of the top seed after a Week 13 loss at Dallas, but regained it after the Rams lost back-to-back games at Chicago in Week 14 and at home against Philadelphia in Week 15.