Vikings season got off to a challenging start with a 0-3 record, their worst in a decade. They will seek their first win in Week 4 when they face the Carolina Panthers.
In Week 3, the Minnesota Vikings came close to securing their first victory of the 2023 NFL season but faced difficulties due to their enthusiastic fans. With 35 seconds left in the game and positioned at the Chargers’ 6-yard line, the Vikings struggled with a single play attempt on their final drive, citing the overwhelming crowd noise as a significant factor.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins explained that he couldn’t hear Coach Kevin O’Connell’s play call after a crucial fourth-down conversion that brought the Vikings into scoring range. Without any timeouts left, Cousins chose not to spike the ball to conserve time. Instead, he hurried the offense to the line, intending to execute a first-and-goal play. However, this rushed setup resulted in 23 seconds running off the clock, forcing Cousins to call his own play.
Ultimately, Cousins’ impromptu call coincided with O’Connell’s original signal, but the rushed execution led to Cousins’ pass being tipped and intercepted, securing the Chargers’ victory. Coach O’Connell acknowledged the noise in U.S. Bank Stadium as a contributing factor to the chaotic finish and noted that such situations are less noticeable during a typical two-minute drill.
One notable regret from the game was the decision not to spike the ball to save time for multiple attempts at the end zone, considering the Vikings were down by four points. O’Connell admitted to being overly aggressive and expressed that he wished he had opted to clock the ball instead.
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Vikings season got off to a challenging start with a 0-3 record, their worst in a decade. They will seek their first win in Week 4 when they face the Carolina Panthers.
