Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins opted not to target the team's ā€” and arguably the NFL's ā€” best receiver in Justin Jefferson with Minnesota's season on the line.

With the Vikings down a touchdown in the waning moments of their Wild Card matchup against the New York Giants, Cousins hit tight end T. J. Hockenson with a checkdown pass well short of the sticks.

Fans understandably crucified Kirk Cousins for making a questionable read on a play that definitively needed eight yards to keep their season alive. The Vikings signal caller explained his decision after the loss to the Giants, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:

ā€œ[I] saw single-high [safety],ā€ Cousins told reporters, ā€œtried to work Justin, didnā€™t feel good about putting it up to Justin, and when I went to progress, I just felt like I was about to get sacked and I felt like Iā€™ve got to put the ball in play, and I canā€™t go down with sack, so I thought Iā€™d kick it out to T.J. I had thrown short of the sticks on a few occasions in the game and even going back a few weeks and just felt like just throwing it short of the sticks isnā€™t the end of the world. Itā€™s just obviously tight coverage, so didnā€™t have the chance to pull away. But I just felt like I was going to go down and take a sack if I didnā€™t put it out.ā€

Every defender on the field was likely wary of where Justin Jefferson was given how destructive he's been on offense all season. With the Giants selling out to stop him, Kirk Cousins' alternative move went up in flames.

Throwing it to a covered Jefferson might not have been ideal, but perhaps taking the risk and allowing the Vikings' best player to make a play was the better move to make. Hindsight, however, is always 20-20 and remains that way looking back on Minnesota's last gasp play