NEW ORLEANS — The Saints’ locker room at the Superdome was consumed by silence. Players dressed quickly before departing. A mountain of shoulder pads formed at the center of the room, next to a couple of yellow duffel bags labeled “PLAYOFFS.” Defensive tackle David Onyemata pulled on black jeans with designer rips that revealed skinned knees.

When running back Mark Ingram was asked for his reaction to the moment that had freshly defined the N.F.C. championship on Sunday afternoon, he stared at the floor in front of him and shook his head. When he finally spoke, it came out a whisper.

“I can’t say any words,” he said.

The topic of the day, and one that will probably linger like a noxious cloud over football-crazed New Orleans for years, was a noncall that had helped the Los Angeles Rams secure their Super Bowl berth with a 26-23 overtime victory over the Saints. On a cold day outside, the crowd left the building bubbling with rage. Most of the players tried to exercise at least some restraint.

“Nothing you can do about it now,” wide receiver Tommylee Lewis said.

The play in question happened late in the fourth quarter of a tie game. On third-and-10 at the Rams’ 13, Saints quarterback Drew Brees lofted a pass toward Lewis, who had run a wheel route out of the backfield toward the right sideline. But well before the ball arrived, Lewis was clobbered by cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, who had his back to Brees and to the airborne ball — and later acknowledged that, yes, he had probably committed a pass-interference penalty.