Twice this season — and as recently as last week — the Vikings left their home stadium with defeats in games they felt they should have won.
On Sunday, in a game where three turnovers and a raft of other mistakes threatened to extinguish their playoff hopes, the Vikings pulled out a victory in a game where they appeared headed for defeat.
Without the benefit of a timeout, Kirk Cousins directed a 75-yard scoring drive in the game's final two minutes, and the Vikings withstood one more rally from their former quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
He got the Panthers into field goal position in the final seconds, but Joey Slye's miss from 54 yards out allowed the Vikings to slip out with a 28-27 win.
The game was the Vikings' third decided by one point this year but the first they'd won.
"It may not have been the prettiest game, but in the end, it's the win that matters," Cousins said.
The Vikings took a 10-7 lead into halftime, despite the fact the Panthers ran 17 times for 76 yards. They allowed Bridgewater to complete just seven of his first 15 passes, with Eric Kendricks picking off a pass for the third straight home game.
Given a chance to extend their lead after deferring to the second half, the Vikings instead saw the game turn in their first four offensive plays.
Cousins fumbled while trying to get rid of the ball under pressure on a third down at the beginning of the second half, and Jeremy Chinn returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. On the Vikings' next offensive play, Dalvin Cook's fumble gave Chinn another chance to score. The running back was slow to get up after injuring his right ankle, and the Panthers took a 21-10 lead.
With the Vikings trailing 24-21 with less than two minutes to go, Chad Beebe muffed a punt that gave the Panthers a chance to end the game with a touchdown from the Minnesota 9.
But Bridgewater missed a wide-open D.J. Moore in the end zone on a third-down play that saw the receiver injure his knee as he tried to reach back for the pass behind him. The Panthers had to settle for a field goal, giving Cousins one more chance to pull out a comeback with a late drive.
This time, Cousins — who'd had two chances to rescue games at home this season — didn't miss his shot.
He went 6-for-7 on the game-winning drive, hitting the go-ahead score as Beebe scored his first NFL touchdown.
"He's been working hard now for three years," Cousins said of Beebe. "He kept flashing and showing that he was a great player."
