Vikings Make Bizarre Decisions in Heartbreaking loss to Chargers

Well, that was something for sure. Now that we have all had the chance to breathe after that bad loss, here we are.

Minnesota:
QB:
K. Cousins 32/50 367 yds 3 TD 1 INT 97.3 rtg
RB:
A. Mattison 20 car 93 yds 4.7 avg (5 rec 32 yds)
T. Chandler 3 car 27 yds 9.0 avg
WR:
J. Jefferson 7 rec 149 yds 21.3 avg 1 TD 52 long
TJ Hockenson 8 rec 78 yds 9.8 avg 21 long (1 fumble lost)
J. Addison 6 rec 52 yds 8.7 avg 16 long
KJ Osborn 1 rec 36 yds 1 TD
DEF:
D. Hunter 1 sack
J. Hicks 1 fumble recovery
K: 
G. Joseph 1/1 FG (23) 3/3 XP

Game summary:
Alright, so. Minnesota took a bit to wake up in this game. TJ Hockenson got stripped on the first drive that would have ended in a touchdown. That was the one bad play by the team until the final minute of the game. Vikings and Chargers traded shots back and forth all the way into the 4th quarter. Minnesota scored to start the 4th quarter, but LA drove down and took the lead back. Minnesota had a chance, but they punted it away. The Vikings defense comes onto the field with just under 2 mins to go in the game and holds the Chargers to a 3 and out, except LA goes for it at 4th and 5 around their own 25 yard line. It appears to everyone involved that Brandon Staley is basically handing Minnesota the game. The defense stops LA well short of the line to gain and the Vikings offense takes over. Minnesota gets a little bit closer, and has a big reception inside the 15 yard line that gets the crowd rowdy. But the clock is ticking down, as it was 35 seconds when the catch to Hockenson was made. The team initially rushes to the line, however it appears Cousins can't hear the play call over the fans chanting. They end up running the same play again and Cousins aggressively threw to Hockenson at the goal line, except TJ let the ball bounce off his hands and into the air to be picked off by a Chargers defender. That's right, I am not blaming Cousins for this interception. He did everything he was supposed to do except maybe spike the ball with 30 seconds left. That is something that head coach Kevin O'Connell took charge of after the game, as he told the media he gave Cousins the call to keep going and not spike it in an attempt to catch LA off guard. 
All in all, the team played well overall - but at the most key moment they let people down. This has been the story of the season so far. I just hope it doesn't continue to haunt them. While the season isn't lost yet, it certainly doesn't get any easier going forward. Don't forget, Minnesota has a 1st place schedule from last year.

Injury Report
WR Justin Jefferson was briefly down with an ankle injury, but returned to the game soon after.
TE TJ Hockenson also was briefly down to a lower body injury, but returned to the game soon after.

Up Next
This weekend, the Vikings travel out to North Carolina to play the Panthers and meet up with former Viking WR Adam Thielen. Kickoff is set for 12 PM CT.

​#skol