The atmosphere during an NFL game can cause a major impact.
We often hear how a crowd can assist in a home win, but it can also hinder a performance.
For Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, it was impossible for him to hear a playcall over a boisterous crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“Just couldn’t hear him with the noise,” Cousins said after Sunday’s 28-24 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers (via ABC News). “Just ended up calling a play, and the play I called was the same play he was trying to get to.”
The entirety of 23 seconds ticked by during the fourth quarter where Cousins couldn’t hear any guidance from head coach Kevin O’Connell through the speaker in his helmet.
That can prove difficult in front of a crowd of 66,878.
“Sometimes that happens,” O’Connell said. “It’s not always noticed when we’re in a normal two-minute mode.”
During the final drive of the game, Cousins had opportunities to throw for touchdowns, but the combination of tips and bounces resulted in a loss.
O’Connell did admit it could have gone a different way and took responsibility.
“My expectations are always sky-high for our group,” O’Connell said, “so I’m trying to steal one more play. But clearly with that much time going off the clock, even though I don’t think ultimately think time was the issue with the game ending the way it did, but certainly … that one was purely on me, trying to be too aggressive in that moment. Definitely looking back on it, just wish I would have clocked it. No matter the benefit we had going fast, the value was not received clearly with what that execution looked like in that moment.”
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.