Leave it to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to make a head-scratching mistake during a crucial moment.
Cousins did just that Sunday during a Week 12 game against the San Francisco 49ers. With the Vikings trailing the 49ers 34-26, what proved to be the final verdict, Cousins lined up behind the guard — not the center — during a fourth-and-goal attempt with nine minutes remaining.
The Vikings did not snap the ball, but instead were forced to use their second timeout as a way to avoid a delay of game penalty with chaos ensuing in the backfield. Cousins’ fourth-down pass, following the timeout which allowed the 49ers to further evaluate their defense, then went incomplete to wideout Justin Jefferson.
You have to see it to believe it.
The Vikings must have been trying to run a direct snap to running back Alexander Mattison, right? Wrong. The fact Mattison reacted like he did to Cousins lining up behind the guard — rushing to the line of scrimmage and literally putting his hands on the signal-caller to move over to the left — clearly indicates that was not the case.
Sunday’s result was just not good for the Vikings as they not only fell to 5-6, but also lost running back Dalvin Cook to injury.
