It only seemed appropriate that on a day where little went right for the Minnesota Vikings, a special teams bungle would be their undoing. That’s what Chad Beebe had to reckon with as he stared on from the sideline following his muffed punt with just over two minutes remaining.
Beebe was promoted to punt returner on Sunday after K.J. Osborn fumbled a punt return a week prior, but his day had already been dicey before his fourth-quarter mistake. Beebe’s failure to call fair catch in the first quarter led to a dangerous play where he got nailed by Trenton Cannon but managed to hang on the ball. Perhaps that earlier hit rattled Beebe, who let Joseph Charlton’s fourth quarter punt bounce off his chest and up for grabs. The Panthers recovered, needing just nine yards for a game-clinching touchdown.
“It’s my job to catch the ball and I didn’t,” Beebe said. “I didn’t do my job, so I definitely felt like it was a personal deal.”
Beebe may owe former Viking Teddy Bridgewater a thank you card after Bridgewater misfired on a pass intended for D.J. Moore on third down, forcing the Panthers to settle for a field goal and giving Minnesota another chance. A Vikings touchdown response, though, would be the only way to let Beebe off the hook for his mistake.
Beebe also struggled to hang onto punts in 2019 prior to his season-ending injury, and it’s possible the job will no longer be his when Week 13 comes around. But this was a game of opportunity in more ways than one for Beebe, who saw his most activity of the season as a wide receiver in place of Adam Thielen, who missed Sunday’s game on the COVID-19/Reserve list.
For three seasons, Beebe has been somewhat of a tease. His greatest plays were made in the 2018 preseason when he caught passes from Kyle Sloter, but injuries and a lack of opportunities in Minnesota’s two-wide-receiver offense stifled his productivity, even as coaches and teammates continued to sing his praises.
Beebe’s career had yielded just 13 receptions heading into Sunday’s game, seven this season. But on Sunday alone he had four grabs heading into the final drive with the Vikings down 27-21. On the second play of the drive, he snagged one for six yards and scurried out of bounds. Two plays later, a 12-yard connection to the Panthers 35. And three plays after that, the defining moment of his young career.
“It’s funny that you ask if I was seeing it in slow motion, because to be honest with you, that’s kind of how it seemed,” Beebe told a reporter after the game. “We call it a clear route. The defensive back, he was a little bit outside shade, so I just tried to give him a stick like I was running out, then skinny through, and Kirk threw a great ball.”
YOU LIKE THAT!?!?!?
📱: https://t.co/EYGyNNxBPN pic.twitter.com/4k7ivBP3iI
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 29, 2020
The game-winner was Beebe’s first career regular season touchdown, a catch of atonement. Kirk Cousins has been the first to praise Beebe for his ability to separate from defensive backs, which finally manifested Sunday in a greater sample size. Not only did Beebe’s grab give him a chance to avenge his own faults, but it reversed the narrative on Cousins, if only for a week. Seven days ago his late-game competence was again brought into question after a foiled last-minute drive against the Dallas Cowboys. With even more on the line Sunday, he delivered.
“He’s been working hard for three years,” Cousins said of Beebe. “You know, he’s had injuries the last couple of years. He kept flashing and showing that he was such a great player. Yet, a combination of factors were kind of preventing him from getting more opportunities, so I was really encouraged by the last few weeks of him getting out there and being able to make some more plays for us. And then today, to have the game-winning touchdown and make so many plays. He had a big play on a third down early in the game when we were backed up. He’s a great player. He showed it today, and he’s one of those guys where if we give him opportunities, he’s going to make plays.”
Beebe and Cousins are the primary heroes in Minnesota’s season-saving win, but they weren’t the only offensive players to come away feeling some redemption. Bisi Johnson was the Vikings’ leading receiver with 74 yards on seven grabs in his first sizable opportunity since being replaced in the lineup by Justin Jefferson.
Perhaps nobody on offense has fallen further from their Week 1 status than Johnson, who was considered a starting wideout before struggling to make an impact through two weeks. Then Jefferson started dropping jaws in Week 3. Since then, Johnson had totaled two receptions and never more than 11 snaps in a game.
Maybe Johnson plays his best when doing a Thielen imitation. The former seventh-round pick played admirably in 2019 filling in for the injured Thielen. Back in the same role, he looked comfortable once again. All seven of his catches either converted a first down or got the Vikings within a yard of the chains. None were bigger than a 3rd and 10 catch for 17 yards when Minnesota was stuck in their own territory clinging to life support down 24-13.
“So proud of our receivers for the way they played today, really spread the ball around today,” Cousins said. “Olabisi Johnson stepped up and was exactly who he was last year when we needed him and had a great game in Adam [Thielen’s] absence.”
Johnson also hauled in a two-point conversion that proved pivotal, giving the Vikings an opportunity to win on the final drive.
There was doubt whether the Vikings had a third receiving option behind Jefferson and Thielen, and the Panthers defended accordingly, bracketing Jefferson when possible and limiting the downfield throws that have made Jefferson the most electrifying rookie receiver in the league. Johnson and Beebe’s emergence kept the Panthers honest and kept the Vikings options open when they needed a comeback.
“Obviously we missed Adam a lot,” Beebe said. “But we did a lot of growing up today, which was awesome to see. It’ll be exciting going forward when we get Adam back. I feel like our group got a lot better today, and there’s a lot of exciting things ahead.”
Presumably, Thielen will return to the field against Jacksonville in Week 13, but he was forced to take in Sunday’s win from his home, cheering wildly down the stretch as documented by his wife Caitlin on Instagram. “That’s a big-time play!” he yelled when Beebe scored.
Adam Thielen watching the end of that #Vikings win is awesome pic.twitter.com/Kh4Ol9tgPk
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 29, 2020
Practically speaking, the same mistakes that have plagued the Vikings in some of this year’s losses were present once again against Carolina, but a late spark from some unlikely sources flipped the script and bolstered the confidence of two receivers who might’ve been in need of a boost.
“Everyone that’s been in this situation – myself, the players, the coaches – we’ve all made mistakes,” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “It’s not one of those kind of things where you make a mistake and you’re done. It’s, you make a mistake, you forget about it and move on and go about your business.”
