SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Adam Thielen's stitched-up left ankle was fine. His route running on the backbreaking play in Saturday's 27-10 divisional loss to the 49ers at Levi's Stadium couldn't have been any worse.
With 9 minutes, 56 seconds left in the third quarter, the Vikings had just four first downs and 84 yards.
And yet they somehow still trailed by only one score, 17-10.
It was third-and-9 from the Vikings' 34. Kirk Cousins threw the ball, trusting that Thielen's inside cut would cross the face of 31-year-old and still-all-world cornerback Richard Sherman.
"That's something you work on Day 1," Thielen said. "You never stop your route. You always cross the face [of the defender] to make the quarterback right."
Two problems: 1, Thielen inexplicably stopped his route. 2, He didn't make the quarterback right.
But he did make Sherman's day with one of the easiest of Sherman's 38 career interceptions, three of which have now come in the postseason.
"I like that!" Sherman shouted into the cameras after picking off the guy who's made his signature yelp, "You like that?!"