MINNEAPOLIS — An unusual and chaotic scene played out Sunday afternoon in the final seconds of the Los Angeles Chargers' 28-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings had converted a fourth down to the Chargers' 6-yard line with 35 seconds remaining. They had no timeouts, but instead of spiking the ball to stop the clock, they attempted to line up and quick-snap the Chargers, hoping to score the winning touchdown before the defense was fully set.
There was one problem. The crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium was so loud that quarterback Kirk Cousins couldn't hear coach Kevin O'Connell's playcall, both Cousins and O'Connell said afterward.
A full 23 seconds ran off the clock as Cousins tried to hear O'Connell, and eventually just decided to call a play on his own.