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Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — An extraordinary and chaotic scene unfolded on Sunday afternoon during the final seconds of the Los Angeles Chargers’ 28-24 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings managed to convert a fourth down, placing them just six yards away from the Chargers’ end zone with a mere 35 seconds left on the clock. Despite having no timeouts, instead of spiking the ball to halt time, they opted to hurriedly line up and snap the ball, hoping to catch the defense unprepared and score the game-winning touchdown.
However, there was one major obstacle in their path. The noise level within U.S Bank Stadium was deafening, making it impossible for quarterback Kirk Cousins to hear coach Kevin O’Connell’s playcall, as both Cousins and O’Connell revealed after the game. Consequently, a whole 23 seconds ticked away as Cousins strained to decipher O’Connell’s instructions. Eventually, Cousins made an impulsive decision to call a play on his own, resulting in a tipped pass towards tight end T.J. Hockenson that was intercepted by Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr., effectively sealing the game with just seven seconds left on the clock.
“I simply couldn’t hear him due to the noise,” admitted Cousins. “So I ended up calling a play, which turned out to be the same one he was trying to communicate.”
NFL teams encourage their home crowds to make as much noise as possible when the opposing team is on offense, but remain quiet when their own team has the ball. The 66,878 fans in attendance at U.S Bank Stadium became animated after the successful fourth-down conversion, with many urging the Vikings to spike the ball in order to maximize their opportunity to score from just six yards out.
“Sometimes, these things happen,” O’Connell remarked in reference to the impact of fan noise. “We don’t always notice it when we’re in a typical two-minute mode.”
O’Connell was firm in his belief that the dwindling seconds on the clock did not affect the play’s execution. However, given the way events unfolded, he acknowledged that spiking the ball would have been a wiser choice.
“I always set the bar high for our team,” O’Connell expressed. “So, I was hoping to steal one more play. But considering the significant amount of time that elapsed, even though I don’t think time was ultimately the issue in the game-ending the way it did, it was clearly my fault for being overly aggressive in that moment. Looking back, I wish I had just spiked it. Regardless of the advantage we had gained by playing at pace, it’s evident that the execution in that moment did not align with the intended outcome.”
In theory, Cousins could have decided to spike the ball independently. However, he stated that he prefers not to make unilateral decisions during games.
“I mean, I have the freedom to do whatever I want,” Cousins explained. “I could have attempted a quarterback sneak or anything else, but at the same time, I have to consider the consequences. Last year against Buffalo, I attempted a sneak and failed to score. So, until I can predict the future, it’s difficult to determine whether or not to take matters into my own hands. But I have done it before.”
This final sequence was just one of many that favored the Chargers on Sunday, including the game-deciding score: a 30-yard pass from quarterback Justin Herbert that bounced off the hands of Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans and into the grasp of receiver Joshua Palmer. The Vikings managed to control these situations in 2022, securing 11 victories in one-score games. However, in 2023, they have played three one-score games and lost all of them.
