The turning point in the 49ers' 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday at U.S. Bank Stadium came on an improbable 60-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of the first half.
On third-and-6 from their own 40-yard line, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and receiver Jordan Addison connected for a remarkable reception that saw the rookie wide receiver wrestle the football away from 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward.
After the game, Kyle Shanahan was asked about defensive coordinator Steve Wilks' decision to blitz on the play and leave the back end more vulnerable as a result.
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"That's stuff we'll discuss throughout this week," Shanahan said after the game. "Obviously I did not like the result."
The result led to the Vikings carrying a 16-7 lead into the break, right after it appeared the 49ers had snatched the momentum with a touchdown on their previous drive.
In the locker room following the game, All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga talked about the momentum swing that occurred when the 49ers' defense allowed that big play.
"We've got to come out regardless, you always got to flush that play," Hufanga said. "Coming back into the second half, we've just got to try to get back that momentum. I think we ended up giving up two field goals in the second half. We had momentum; we lost it right there, and we've got to be better for sure."
San Francisco 49ers
Cousins offered his thoughts on the play, detailing that the pressure the 49ers' defense sent had disrupted Minnesota's timing, forcing him to throw earlier and to a different spot than he had originally intended.
"They bring a blitz there, and they were kind of zeroed out on the back end, and I had to throw it earlier than I wanted to," Cousins said. "I didn't really know where to lead him, and so I was like I don't want to over lead him, and what I did was under lead him, so you allow the [defensive back] then to undercut it."
The Vikings quarterback then shared that he was as stunned as anyone that Addison ended up scoring on the play, saying he thought Ward was going to pick him off for the second time on the night after he had let the ball go.
"I thought it was getting picked, and I still don't know how Jordan [Addison] came away with it," Cousins said. "And because they were zeroed out, once he pulled away, there was nobody left. A big, big-time play by him."
Addison finished the game with seven catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, stepping up in a significant way in the absence of All-Pro wideout Justin Jefferson.
Cousins threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns and was nearly flawless after throwing an interception on the game's opening drive.