Getty Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins breathed life into the Vikings, leading the team into scoring position on final fourth-quarter drives nearly every game this season.
But on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Cousins went haywire.
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Cousins Lines Up Wrong on 4th Down
Down a possession and approaching fourth-and-goal, Cousins lined up under the right guard instead of center Mason Cole. The Vikings were forced to call a timeout and failed to gain three yards for a touchdown, turning the ball over to the 49ers.
Cousins’ blunder went viral with Barstool Sports picking up the clip. He offered a milquetoast explanation in his postgame press conference.
“We just didn’t get lined up properly and the play clock was winding down,” Cousins said, per ProFootball Talk. “I was just moving, trying to get everybody settled up and just got under the wrong guy.”
There’s not much left to be said. It was an honest mistake that didn’t prove costly.
However, entering the final stretch of the season, the team should be firing on all cylinders and a simple mistake getting lined up is symbolic of the Vikings’ struggles.
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Vikings Taking it Week-by-Week
Had the Vikings beat the 49ers, their playoff chances would have improved dramatically, with the 49ers among the NFC Wild card contenders.
Now, the Vikings sit at a 50% chance of making the postseason entering the NFC North stretch of their schedule. Like last year, the Vikings are sitting at 5-6 through the first 12 weeks of the season.
And just like past weeks, the Vikings can’t seem to build serious momentum they’d hope for with the talent they have in the locker room. They continue to be a team that shouldn’t be counted out but have yet to assert themselves.
“You just play it one game at a time, one week at a time,” Cousins said in his postgame press conference. “I don’t really think about too much beyond that. You pour all your energy into this one and now you learn from it and you focus on the next one and don’t really think too much beyond that. You get to the end and then settle it up.”
Thielen Sounding Like a Broken Record
Frustration has been the theme this season.
Adam Thielen has harped his thoughts on the rollercoaster year the Vikings have had as a team in the playoff chase but far from where they’d like to be.
After the Vikings’ Halloween night loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Thielen spoke to the frustration in the locker room:
“If you aren’t frustrated, there’s something wrong with you and you shouldn’t be on this team,” he said.
That was a month ago. Four games later, the Vikings have gone 2-2 and remain a mediocre team in the playoff chase.
And Thielen is still frustrated.
“If you’re not frustrated where we’re at, you’re in the wrong building,” Thielen said in a Nov. 29 press conference. “The good thing is we are a playoff team. We know what we can do. We know what we’re capable of, but we have six games to now go and prove it and to ultimately get in.”