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The confidence that Kevin O’Connell instilled in Kirk Cousins is beginning to unravel.
Trailing by four points in the final minute of regulation, Cousins converted a fourth down with a pass to T.J. Hockenson that set up a fresh series on the Los Angeles Chargers‘ 6-yard line. A raucous Minnesota Vikings crowd drowned out the incoming play call from O’Connell in Cousins’ helmet, leaving the 11th-year veteran quarterback to his own devices.
A precious 25 seconds ticked off the clock as the Vikings’ struggles to communicate on the next play came back to bite them. Instead of clocking the ball and having ample clock time and several chances at the end zone, Cousins ran the play and threw a pass that tipped out of Hockenson’s hands and into the arms of Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray — the final play to a backbreaking 28-24 loss at home.
Cousins revealed in a postgame media conference that he could not hear the call in his helmet. However, when asked whether he has the autonomy to make a judgment call like spiking the ball, he admitted he has full control over the situation but said he leans toward not “taking the reigns.”
“I mean I could do anything I want. 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. Against Buffalo last year I snuck it on my own and didn’t get in,” Cousins said, harkening back to a failed quarterback sneak that he called in last season’s thriller over the Bills. “So until you know the future, it’s hard to know whether to take the reins or not, but I’ve done it before. I try not to make a habit of it, certainly.”
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Feared Making His Own Call
It’s difficult to find a reason O’Connell would be upset with Cousins spiking the ball at that moment, especially considering the crowd noise and a potential headset malfunction. The consequences are minimal when the alternative was to take a breather and stop the clock versus rushing a quarterback sneak and having to burn a timeout like in Buffalo.
“Just couldn’t hear him in the noise,” Cousins said. “I just called the play. We always practice that. If the headset goes out, what do you call, and I just called the play and it ended up being the same way he wanted.”
Cousins feared the potential repercussions from his coach. His hands-off response to the ownership he has under center revealed another moment of indecision by the veteran quarterback that is reminiscent of his days during the Zimmer era.
You know what else is reminiscent of that time?
An 0-3 record, which the Vikings carried to start the 2020 season and ended the year 7-9 and out of the playoffs.
What 0-3 Means for the Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have dug themselves into a hole that few teams have returned from.
Since 1990, only four teams that started a season 0-3 made the playoffs, per NFL.com. Two of those teams won their division, which is likely what Minnesota will need to accomplish.
None of those teams lifted a Lombardi Trophy, which begs the question why the Vikings are trying to balance the “competitive rebuild” this season. The team saw itself as a step down from true contender status after a first-round exit at the hands of a New York Giants team that was trounced by the Philadelphia Eagles the next week. The Dallas Cowboys rolled the Vikings 40-3 last year.
A 13-4 season that required 11 single-score victories is proving to be more about luck than culture as the pendulum of regression has swung the other way. This year’s Vikings have been the opposite of the “situational masters” they were a season ago.
This season is a reminder that relying on winning close games is not a formula for long-term success. The Vikings are 5-7 since the Cowboys gave them a wakeup call in Week 11 last year.
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