It was a rather low-scoring game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins, with the Vikings taking the 15-10 win. But one moment made the game more intriguing: an NFL referee blasted Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson.
“NFL referee Adrian Hill flipped out at #Vikings LB Eric Wilson for an unintentional collision,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on X. “Watch closely and you can even see Wilson trying to help Hill up after he lost his footing.”
On a play early in the game, the Dolphins started with the offensive snap, with Miami running back Ollie Gordon II pushing Wilson, who then collided with Hill after losing his footing. The play was already stopped as the players had jumped offside. The collision made Hill fall to the ground, and he immediately erupted at Wilson for it. But it could also be seen that Wilson was trying to help Hill after he fell, which led to different reactions in the NFL world.
The reactions were mixed, with some defending Wilson and criticizing Hill’s response as disproportionate to an unintentional play.
Schultz described the referee’s action as “very soft,” pointing out that Wilson tried to help him out after the collision. An NFL analyst, Nace Tice, deemed the accident “embarrassing.”
“Not a good look for the ref man,” Pro Football Network wrote.
The collision video clip was also posted by FOX, with the caption, “an unintentional collision,” but it was taken down after 20 minutes, after which the broadcast partner decided to post it again, this time a pixelated clip of the accident, according to The Big Lead.
For Wilson, it was another outing for him which turned into a win, though he wasn’t as affective as in the other games he has been, he logged 4 assisted tackles to finish the day, with the Vikings going on an undefeated streak of 4-0.
Wilson has been a vital element for the Vikings this season, grabbing 24 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks, including a pass defended. Just last game, in a 23-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wilson “wreaked havoc” against the Buccaneers’ offense, as Rob Kleifield of Vikings.com quoted. He logged 10 combined tackles, 2 tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks.
“What jumped out to me watching the tape last week was, it’s a hot day, and the defense played a lot of snaps, and just how hard [Wilson] was playing and how he was flying around the field, closing on tackles,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said of Wilson last week. “I think he’s been phenomenal for us.”
And it isn’t that he hasn’t been consistent; in fact, he has been in this kind of form since the last season. Wilson who started his career as an undrafted rookie with the Vikings in 2017, re-signed with them in 2025. While he impressed in the training camp, he was put behind starter Blake Cashman. But Wilson didn’t know the opportunity that was about to knock on his door, as Cashman suffered a hamstring injury in the start of the season.
Wilson didn’t look back since then, earning every snap of the game.
“I think I’m maybe seeing football for what it is. It finally clicked in a certain way,” Wilson said in December, 2025, according to Matthew Coller of Purple Insider. “Shout-out to my teammates; we play together pretty well, and coaches help me out a lot. I’m just glad it’s coming together.”
Wilson ranked first among the inside linebackers last year, recording 115 combined tackles and a whopping 17 tackles for loss, alongside 10 quarterback hits and a career-high 6.5 sacks, and he has certainly not lost his form coming into this season.
But this accident with Hill has certainly put him in the spotlight, which he normally wouldn’t want, but regardless, his reaction to the situation has been praised by fans and analysts, who may not be too fond of the recent decisions and behavior of the NFL referees.
Eric Wilson wasn’t the only one being blasted by an NFL referee on Sunday
The referees have always been on the bad side of the plate, as fans and players often scrutinize them over controversial decisions. Just pick another game from Sunday, where the New York Giants beat the Arizona Cardinals 30-24.
While the Cardinals were trailing behind in the fourth quarter, one of the officials cursed “f*** you” two times to the Cardinals tight end Trey McBride. McBride pointed at the CBS cameras as the official was being taped live.
“This kind of behavior from an official towards a player is unacceptable. Players are consistently held accountable when the roles are reversed. We expect the NFL to hold officials to the same standard,” executive director of the NFLPA, JC Tretter, wrote on X.
Just last week, the NFL admitted its mistake to head coach Sean McVay when an official called defensive pass interference on Los Angeles Rams defensive back Josh Wallace after he intercepted a pass from Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant, who was pulling him toward him as he fell. Bryant later admitted he sold it in order to draw a flag.
Officials have one of the hardest jobs, having to flag players and make decisions in a few seconds of a play, and while frustration may run high at times, fans and the NFL world have criticized Hill for coming onto Wilson that way.