Rules for running up the score

Late in Minnesota's playoff win over Dallas on Sunday, the Vikings opted to keep gunning for the end zone despite a comfortable 24-point lead. With Just over three minutes left QB Brett Farve tossed his fourth TD of the game, boosting the score to 34-3 and enraging the Cowboys' sidelines.

Since then, sports talk shows have been debating whether the move was classless or just competition. But so far no one has broken out the definitive answer to the question, the League's own Official Unofficial Rules Rulebook. It covers all the critical parts of the game that fall outside the refs' purview, like end zone celebrations and when it's permissible to smack an offensive lineman's butt.

And, right there in section 301.42, it spells out exactly when piling onto an opponent is allowed. Let's take the points one by one:

Sec 301.42 -- Running up the score

Teams shall not continue to aggressively attempt to pad their margin of victory except under the following circumstances:

1 ~~ That team's playoff berth may be determined by their season-long points total;
Tough to argue that this one could apply to the Vikings. Even though Joe Buck insists that Farve plays every down like his life depends on it, it would have made more sense if the Minnesota coach had benched his starters that late in the game.

2 ~~ Player/Players are attempting to reach a personal milestone;
Vikings WR Sidney Rice had already caught three TDs in the game at that point, and a fourth would have set a new post-season record. But the final TD pass went to TE Visanthe Shiancoe, so that reason is out too.

3 ~~ A team is avenging poor sportsmanship from earlier in the game;
True, being forced to stare at QB Tony Romo's dopey face is considered a cheap shot in many cultures, but it doesn't really rise to poor sportsmanship. Maybe if Dallas had called a late timeout, or kicked a FG with two minutes left just to break up a shutout. But not here.

4 ~~ A team is avenging a cheap shot from a past meeting;
The Vikings lost a heartbreaking playoff matchup to the 'boys in 1975 on a controversial Hail Mary-pass interference play. But the statue of limitations for grudges of a postseason nature, outlined in section 401.77, is only 30 years. So no go there either.

5 ~~ Or, the team being picked on is the Dallas Cowboys.
Oh, OK then. I guess it was all good.

Farve is still a jackass, though.