The Minnesota Vikings are blaming crowd noise from their hometown fans at U.S. Bank Stadium for Sunday’s 28-24 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
After converting a fourth-and-5 with a pass to T.J. Hockenson in the final minute of regulation, the Vikings had a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line.
The comeback had fans in a frenzy, but with no timeouts left, quarterback Kirk Cousins couldn’t hear the play call and allowed 29 seconds to tick off the clock.
That time could’ve been preserved had Cousins spiked the ball rather than wait for the play from head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Cousins ended up calling a play on his own and his pass to Hockenson ended up in the hands of Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. to close out the game.
“Just couldn’t hear him with the noise,” Cousins said, according to ESPN. “Just ended up calling a play, and the play I called was the same play he was trying to get to.”
“Sometimes that happens,” O’Connell said of the home crowd fan noise. “It’s not always noticed when we’re in a normal two-minute mode.”
The 35-year-old quarterback, who is a 12-year NFL veteran and in his sixth season with Minnesota, said he tries “not to make a habit of” unilateral decisions.
“I mean I could do anything I want,” Cousins said. “I can do the quarterback sneak. I can do whatever I want, but at the same time you also have to deal with the consequences.”
O’Connell tried to take the blame for the time management failure, admitting that spiking the ball would have been the smart play.
“Clearly with that much time going off the clock, even though I don’t think ultimately think time was the issue with the game ending the way it did, but certainly … that one was purely on me, trying to be too aggressive in that moment,” O’Connell said. “Definitely looking back on it, just wish I would have clocked it. No matter the benefit we had going fast, the value was not received clearly with what that execution looked like in that moment.”
The loss left the Vikings at 0-3.
Only four teams since 1990 have made the playoffs after an 0-3 start: the Chargers (1992), Detroit (1995), Buffalo (1998) and Houston (2018).
Minnesota returns to action Sunday with a road game against the Carolina Panthers.