If the Minnesota Vikings are earnestly trying to resuscitate their 0-3 season, they picked an awful way to start on Sunday. After Minnesota drove down in the red zone against the Carolina Panthers on its first possession, Kirk Cousins reared his ugly (quarterback) head.
The veteran lofted up a terrible pass that Sam Franklin Jr. picked to go the other way. But Cousins wasn’t done. He took a good angle and heroically tried to make up for his mistake by at least trying to make the tackle and prevent a 99-yard pick-six.
Cousins’ plan went swimmingly until Carolina’s D’Shawn Jamison saw a clean shot at a vicious block. He didn’t waste it:
Sam Franklin from the one-yard line. 99-yard Pick-6 for Carolina!
📺: #MINvsCAR on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/8FIfPD1zDh— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
Look, I’m almost never going to frown upon a quarterback trying to finish a play. The Vikings are in a place with no margin for error. They can’t afford to fall behind the eight-ball with avoidable defensive touchdowns. But Cousins’ attempt at heroics couldn’t have turned out more disastrous.
And the Vikings paid for it.