The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Minnesota Vikings soundly on Monday night by a score of 21-7 to virtually clinch a playoff spot, but the victory didn't come without controversy.

With Seattle leading 6-0 with just six minutes to go, the Vikings sent out Dan Bailey to attempt a 47-yard field goal. Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner jumped over the two teammates and ran up to block the field goal, keeping their shutout bid in tact.

But as Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com reported, Wagner "placed his hands on (teammates Jarran) Reed and (Shamar) Stephen and made contact with one of the Minnesota linemen," which should have led to 15-yard penalty and automatic first down.

That would have put the Vikings in prime position to get the go-ahead touchdown, or at the very least settle on a short field goal to cut the lead in half. The Seahawks would run a large portion of the clock down and score two more touchdowns before winning 21-7.

This is the third Monday nighter in Seattle over the past six years in which controversy has ensued. Nobody can forget the infamous 'Fail Mary' game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 12.

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Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

That was when the replacement refs rewarded Golden Tate simultaneous possession and a game-winning touchdown, when it looked like Packers' DB M.D. Jennings clearly made the interception first.

And in a 2015 game against the Detroit Lions, the Seahawks forced a Calvin Johnson fumble right near the goal line, thwarting a potential go-ahead touchdown. K.J. Wright illegally batted the ball out of bounds.

Wright should have been flagged for it, which would have given the Lions the football back in the red zone. Instead, Seattle was awarded possession, and they would melt the clock down to pick up the win.

What This Means

Unfortunately, there are plenty of games every year in which officiating mistakes determine the outcome of the game. The referee crew for the Eagles-Cowboys game on Sunday also made a handful of mistakes, leading to more public backlash.

It doesn't help that this game had serious playoff implications. Seattle is now 8-5 and all but assured a playoff berth, while the Vikings sit a 6-6-1 and are only half a game up on three teams for the last wild card spot in the NFC.

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