Vikings QB Kirk Cousins appeared to be under center, ready to take a snap in a crucial moment of the matchup vs. the 49ers.
The Vikings were on fourth-and-goal, down eight points, with just over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
But the Minnesota quarterback ran into a dilemma: he was under the right guard, not the center.
RB Alexander Mattison, WR Justin Jefferson and a few others appeared to notice that Cousins was lining up behind Ezra Cleveland and not Mason Cole. In the end Cousins called a timeout, and the Vikings had to trot back out and try again. Minnesota failed to convert on the actual fourth-down attempt.
Biggest moment of the game.
Playoffs in the balance.
Need a touchdown on 4th down and goal.
And Kirk Cousins panics and lines up under the right guard. pic.twitter.com/pZkoBFhlQy
— Phil Mackey 🎙 (@PhilMackey) November 29, 2021
The Vikings practiced the correct process of going for it on fourth down in Week 12: the team did so three times. However, it failed to convert on two of those occasions.
That’ll happen sometimes. The Vikings fell to 5-6 with the loss, while the 49ers moved to 6-5.