Final: Rams 30 - Vikings 20. Vikings fall to 5-2.
Ever since the bye week, the Minnesota Vikings haven't looked the same. They have a very good coaching staff and a number of veteran players on the roster. This 5 day funk will not continue, even though it may feel like dark times as a Vikings fan right now. To my fellow Vikings fans, I can assure you this kind of play will not continue to spiral. Birdman's Blog predicted the Vikings to finish the season with 11-13 wins, and that is exactly what will happen. They were never going to go undefeated and most of the national media didn't have us anywhere close to a 5-2 record to start the season. The Vikings don't play for another 9 days, so I will just go over some thoughts and hold the next game's preview for next week. Let's get into my thoughts about the game and the remainder of the season:
The Minnesota Vikings are 5-2 and in a 5 game funk. They have lost both games in a span of 5 days after coming out of the bye week. Very disappointing considering the Vikings had been 2-0 on their first games coming out of the bye under Kevin O'Connell. Part of this has clearly been the opponents.
After losing an emotional game against the Lions 5 days ago, the Vikings looked completely flat and inconsistent all game against the Rams. The Rams are also better than their record had shown. They have a HOF and Super Bowl winning Head Coach and QB, while also returning arguably one of the best WR duos in the NFL. That being said, I don't think the Vikings are playing as well in the last 2 games and were their own downfall against the Rams.
The Offensive pre-snap penalties are killing us. We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot and playing from behind the sticks. Good teams are disciplined and don't make stupid mistakes to hurt themselves. This is a huge issue that needs to be fixed.
Sam Darnold somewhat got back on track, throwing for 240 yards and 2 TDs. Both TDs came in the first quarter, but then we were only able to score 6 points the rest of the game. Offense needs to find more consistency throughout the game. From a personal statistic standpoint, Darnold is playing well in the 1st and 3rd quarters, while playing very poorly in the 2nd and 4th quarters. KOC and Darnold need to figure out how to mesh the offensive performance together better for an entire game.
Justin Jefferson had 8 catched for 115 yards. He is a beast and feels like the only real consistent player for the Vikings all season. He can't do it by himself. That catch down the sidelines was amazing.
JJ McCarthy has been approved to be on the sidelines for the last 2 games. The Vikings are now 0-2 with him on the sidelines. Maybe this is the reason we are on a losing streak. People are wondering... (Before you get all offended, I am joking.)
News just broke that Christian Darrisaw will require season ending knee surgery. This is a huge blow to the Vikings. It could be argued that he is the best player on the team, even though offensive linemen aren't usually considered in those types of discussions. Terrible news.
The Vikings are going to need to get creative with how they handle pass and run blocking without their best offensive lineman. David Quessenberry will need to take over at LT the rest of the year. I wouldn't be surprised if they make bigger changes on the OL by getting Risner and Feeney involved or making a trade. They will also have to use FB CJ Ham and TE Josh Oliver even more in all blocking situations. It sucks, but creative coaching decisions can get this season back on track.
The Vikings need LB Blake Cashman back in the lineup ASAP. They are now 0-2 without their defensive captain while allowing 30.5 points per game in the 2 games he has missed. Some of you might be saying, "the defense is playing like crap, a Linebacker isn't going to make that much of a difference." Yes he does. Now, I'm not comparing him to the level of these guys, but if you take Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher off of those Ravens and Bears teams, those defenses are guaranteed to perform at a much lower level. Go back and watch the defensive highlights from the first 5 games and specifically watch Cashman. That dude is absolutley the heart and soul of this defense including being the green dot captain. Our defense will immediately improve upon his return.
The biggest downfall last night was the defensive performance. We didn't sack 36-year Matthew Stafford once and everytime we had them in a 3rd down situation, they either converted it or the defense was called for a penalty and an automatic 1st down (like 5-6 times). We have to get back to pressuring the QB. I have 2 thoughts on this. First, some of these penalties were warranted, but half of them were terrible calls. Let the teams play and stop having the refs dictate the outcomes, it's not fun for anyone. Second, the Vikings' pass rush has to get back to what it was like at the beginning of the season. When you get quick and consistent pressure on the opposing team's QB, you avoid putting the game in the referee's hands.
Time to talk about the blatant, egregious facemask penalty that wasn't called and ended the game. The Vikings were down 28-20 with 2 minutes remaining, at the 5 yard line, and no timeouts. Sam Darnold dropped back to pass before getting pulled down by his facemask in the endzone for a safety, essentially ending the game. I'm not saying the Vikings were going to drive 95 yards, score a TD, convert the 2 point conversion, and win in overtime... but they weren't even given the opportunity that they deserved. The refs claimed that they "didn't see it," but based on the views of replays, it clearly shows 2 separate refs were looking right at it and could absolutely see from their angles. Even if the 2 closest refs didn't see it, how is the NFL not able to make the correct call? There are so many refs on the field and so many camera angles to fix this call in real time. Screw the whole "per the rule book it's a non-reviewable play" bullshit. Make the right call and use some common sense. The NFL acts like they care about player safety, and then when Sam Darnold almost gets his neck broken, they respond with "oh well." The entire nation, including my 126 year old blind, great-grandmother, could see that was an obvious face mask penalty. Darnold's head was spun 180-degrees for Christ's sake! Even the defender who committed the facemask immediately put both hands on his head, realizing the mistake he had just made. An unbelievable no-call from the referees and NFL. Just sad.
Finally, the NFL Trade Deadline is November 5th and we have one more game until then. I think the Vikings should look at this in two different layers. They should be both buyers and sellers at the deadline. What do I mean by that? They should be open to sell any players they don't see being a part of the team over the next 1-3 seasons, while also being active buyers for top players that can be brought in with multiple years left on their contracts or are open to signing extensions. This will keep us competitive this year while also continuing to build for the near future. Sell players for whatever you can get for them and then turn that capital around to buy a player like DT Dexter Lawrence for whatever he will cost. Use the accumulated draft picks and other sellable players to buy more long term players (OL, LB, DL,CB), or even wait until the draft to bundle draft picks to move up in the draft again. Kwesi has excelled when trading for players way more than actually drafting. Use the knowledge of Kwesi's strengths (and weaknesses) by going after proven NFL players and higher drafts picks, rather than trying to build the team off multiple Day 2-3 draft picks that are likely not going to work out, based on Kwesi's history. Easier said than done, but that's why these guys get paid millions of dollars.
Overall, the Vikings are still in a very good position at 5-2. They have a relatively easy schedule for the remainder of the season to help get them into the playoffs. TE TJ Hockenson and LB Blake Cashman will be returning to the lineup starting next game and this will be a huge boost to the team. If the Vikings can make some trades for solid players at DT, LB, OL, or any other positions, it could seriously re-energize the entire team and get them back on the path of winning. I know this loss to the Rams, and the loss of Darrisaw, make this season look like a lost cause right now...but don't lose faith and try your best not to overreact. The Vikings are still one of the best teams in the league. If Kwesi, KOC, and Flores play their cards right and make the correct moves and adjustments, there is no reason they can't still make a deep playoff run. Think positive, act with intention, and move forward with confidence! We got this... SKOL Vikings!
Can we stop losing, please? I liked it better when we were winning. 😕
Vikings will be fine, if they win every single remaining game...they will be Super Bowl Champions.