Kirk Cousins starts game vs Panthers with 99-yard pick 6, gets trucked on return
Kirk Cousins would like to have this one back.
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback threw an interception at the goal line to Carolina Panthers safety Sam Franklin on Sunday. Then he got leveled on the return that went 99 yards for a Panthers touchdown.
The play took place on Minnesota's opening drive. The Vikings drove 70 yards to set up third-and-goal from the 5-yard line. Cousins took a shotgun snap, then looked to K.J. Osborn in the left flat. But Franklin jumped the route and intercepted the ball near the goal line and sprinted down the sideline toward the opposite end zone.
The only Viking who had a chance of catching him was Cousins. He did not make the play.
Cornerback D'Shawn Jamison escorted Franklin down the sideline. When Cousins attempted to impede Franklin's path, Jamison trucked him to the turf, and Franklin ran untouched into the end zone to give the Panthers an early 7-0 lead.
It was a tough way to get Week 4 started for Minnesota on the heels of an 0-3 start, but the Vikings rallied and won 21-13.
