Vikings drop to 0-3 with game-ending interception in the end zone
Brandon Staley's decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 24-yard line nearly backfired, but the turnover-prone Minnesota Vikings didn't make the Chargers pay as the game essentially ended 28-24 on an interception in the end zone -- Minnesota's ninth turnover of the season.
On 4th-and-5 with 42 seconds to play, Cousins hit T.J. Hockenson for a first down to the 6-yard line. Instead of clocking the ball and resetting, the Vikings wasted time and ran a play with Cousins snapping the ball with 12 seconds to go and then threw to Hockenson where the ball was tipped in the air and intercepted. Game over. The loss drops the Vikings to 0-3. Just 2.5% of teams to start 0-3 in NFL history have made the playoffs.
Final stats:
- Kirk Cousins: 32 of 50, 367 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
- Justin Jefferson: 7 catches, 149 yards, 1 TD
- TJ Hockenson: 8 catches, 78 yards
- Alexander Mattison: 20 carries, 93 yards
- Jordan Addison: 6 catches, 52 yards
- KJ Osborn: 1 catch, 36 yards, 1 TD
Minnesota, after turning the ball over seven times in the first two games, had two turnovers this game, the first when Hockenson was stripped after making what would’ve been a first down catch in Chargers territory. The Chargers turned that into a 7-0 lead when Justin Herbert hit Donald Parham for a touchdown.
Justin Jefferson didn’t have a target in the first quarter but he catapulted the Vikings’ responding scoring drive with back to back catches of 21 and 33 yards, which set up a touchdown pass from Cousins to tight end Josh Oliver to tie the game 7-7.
Jordan Hicks forced and recovered a fumble on the Chargers’ ensuing drive, and the Vikings turned the turnover into points, though it wasn't pretty in the red zone.
Facing a 1st-and-20, Cousins hit Jefferson for 25 yards to the 10-yard line and then things got wacky. There was an incomplete pass, false start, Mattison dropped a pass and then the Vikings got a free first down for a helmet-to-helmet penalty on Derwin James. Then Mattison fumbled only to have the refs say his progress had stopped. Two incomplete passes later and Greg Joseph made a 23-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead.
The Chargers answered on 4th-and-goal with under a minute to go before the half when Herbert threw a bullet for Parnham's second TD of the day and a 14-10 lead.
Los Angeles took a 21-10 lead on a two-play, 75-yard drive midway through the third quarter, with the score coming on a double pass from Herbert to Keenan Allen, who passed deep down the right sideline to a wide open Mike Williams for a 49-yard touchdown.
Minnesota answered to cut the deficit to 21-17 with 3:01 to go in the third quarter. On 4th-and-6, Cousins connected with KJ Osborn on a crosser and Osborn scampered along the left sideline and leaped over the pylon for a 36-yard touchdown.
The Vikings took the lead 24-21 on a 52-yard catch-and-run by Jefferson with 11:20 left in the fourth game. Jefferson has had at least 149 yards in all three games this season and is on pace for 2,595 yards.
Just as soon as the Vikings regained momentum, the Chargers stole it back thanks to a two-play sequence that saw Herbert find Allen for 20 yards on 3rd-and-17 and then Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans let an interception slip through his hands and into the hands of Josh Palmer for a 30-yard score.
Back came the Vikings only to squander a chance to take the lead, all thanks to a trio of failing plays after reaching 2nd-and-goal from the 1-yard line. On second down, Mattison was stuffed for a loss. On third down, Cousins threw incomplete and on fourth down he threw incomplete again. The fourth down play would've been wiped out anyway since Jefferson was called for an illegal pre-snap shift.
The Vikings defense could not stop Herbert and Allen. Herbert finished 40 of 47 for 405 yards and three touchdowns. Allen caught 18 passes for 215 yards. Mike Williams, who left the game with an injury, had six catches for 121 yards and touchdown, which he of course caught on a pass from Allen.
