Kirk Cousins’s Sunday got off to a rough start.
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback threw an interception at the goal line to Carolina Panthers safety Sam Franklin. He got crushed on the return that went 99 yards for a Panthers touchdowns.
The play took place on Minnesota’s opening drive of the game. The Vikings drove 70 yards to set up third-and-goal from the five-yard line. Cousins took a shotgun snap, then looked 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 didn’t 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.