The Minnesota Vikings have no idea of how to take advantage of their homefield after recording a huge road upset. Instead of coming into U.S. Bank Stadium with a head of steam and rolling over the visiting Baltimore Ravens, the Vikings gave the game away. They dissipated all the momentum they had after beating the Detroit Lions a week earlier. The Vikings were beaten 27-19 by the visitors.
The Vikings committed eight pre-snap penalties as the offensive line was not on the same page as quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The second-year signal caller from Michigan is going through growing pains and made poor decisions throughout the game. He had opportunities to run throughout the game when he decided to throw the ball to covered receivers. Those decisions cost the Vikings dearly.
“We had opportunities but there were a lot of tipped balls,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said at his press conference after the game. “Those all were opportunities for catches and we have to fix those situations. We are going to have conversations as to why those tipped passes happened. What happened was completely unacceptable.”
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson is supposed to be the best receiver in the NFL, but he was off his game as well, with slow cuts and an inability to fight through tight coverage and make the play.
McCarthy and Jefferson are not on the same page at this point. McCarthy overshot Jefferson on some plays, while Jefferson did not come through by holding on to catchable passes on other plays.
O’Connell joins the analytics crowd with brutal decision
O’Connell made a remarkably brutal decision when the Vikings got within one touchdown in the fourth quarter. He decided to go for two points following a brilliant TD catch by Jalen Nailor when a standard extra point would have allowed the Vikings to get within seven points. O’Connell can point to analytics and say that if the Vikings had been successful on the two-point play, another touchdown would have given them the lead. That’s so much hogwash.
Teams that believe in themselves don’t have to rely on gimmick strategy in order to win football games. They play hard and earn their victories. Their coaches don’t put their players in a hole by going along with the in crowd and going for two points when it’s not necessary.
O’Connell is a modern-day coach who believes in positive treatment and full-fledged support of his players, but when there’s no discipline, it’s impossible to win against a good team. He seems to have his biggest problems when the Vikings are playing experienced teams like the Ravens or the Eagles. The Vikings made too many mistakes in their Week 7 28-22 loss to Philadelphia and they made even more against Baltimore.
The Ravens are a good team that got off to a brutal start this season. But now that Lamar Jackson is healthy again and the defense is shutting down opponents in the passing game, the Ravens have a chance to become a great team. They have won three games in a row and they will have a chance to run down the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers in the coming weeks.
The Vikings had a chance to build a winning record, but there was little desire, consistency or continuity against the focus they had in the victory over the Lions.
The Vikings still have eight games remaining on their schedule and they are going to have to turn up the concentration level. They get another chance to win a home game in Week 11 against the Bears, a team they defeated in the opening game of the season. McCarthy rallied the Vikings in the fourth quarter after struggling earlier in the game. He will have to be much better for 60 minutes if they are going to get back to .500 and sweep the season series from the Bears.
