Arizona Cardinals

NFL says ref didn't need to re-flip coin in Cardinals OT win

Published Jan. 17, 2016 8:09 p.m. ET

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The Arizona Cardinals-Green Bay Packers NFC Divisional Playoff was one to remember.

The Packers forced overtime thanks to a miraculous last-second Hail Mary, and then the Cardinals marched down the field in impressive fashion in OT. But it was what happened at the start of overtime that had people talking after the Cardinals’ 26-20 win.

Coin flips usually are a mere formality, but the one at the start of overtime was anything but. The coin actually failed to flip, so the referee decided to try again. The Cardinals won on the second try and they made the most of the opportunity.

Apparently the referee didn’t need to re-flip the coin, although his decision wasn’t wrong, either, according to the NFL.

“There is nothing in the rule book that specifies this,” the league said, via ESPN.com. “But the referee used his judgment to determine that basic fairness dictated that the coin should flip for the toss to be valid. That is why he re-tossed the coin.”

The game was so incredible that it even stumped the rule book.

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