How quickly things change. In less than a week, the Minnesota Vikings went from football darlings, being at the top of the NFL world, along with the defending champions Kansas City Chiefs, to a two-game losing streak and questions at every position.
The NFL moves like Usain Bolt on a track at the Olympics. If you cannot keep up, you will be left behind. The Vikings dropped a heartbreaker in the final minute to their NFC North rival Detroit Lions last Sunday, 31-29, then went on to lose by 10, 30-20, to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. A 5-0 start seems like a distant memory and is now a 5-2 record, and Minnesota is officially behind the Lions in the division.
The Rams, who are getting healthier and stronger with the return of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, looked like a new team and have to reconsider shopping Kupp in a potential trade before the Tuesday, November 5 deadline and wonder if they are playoff contenders, especially in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks struggling. The Vikings have to be thinking in the back of their head what their next step is, too.
“They brought a lot of energy to our team, and a ton of confidence,” said Stafford, who had thrown just three touchdown passes in the Rams’ first six games combined. “It’s not only just the offense. I know the defense feels it too when those guys are out there making plays.”
The Vikings’ vaunted defense that left offensive coordinators up at night and baffled the rest of the NFL for the first five weeks has struggled for two straight games, with the Lions and Rams moving the ball at will against Minnesota. The offense is fine but failed to finish off drives and stalled often after a good start, and losing left tackle Christian Darrisaw could be a massive problem, depending how long he is sidelined.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores was off to a great start this season and his defense managed to stifle some good offensive units. But Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Rams coach Sean McVay have had plenty of answers to the test the last two weeks. The Vikings should not push the panic button due to two losses, but the shine and the glimmer of their feel-good start is fading fast.
The Rams played a barn-burner prime-time game against the Chiefs a few years ago in which both teams scored 50 points, and for a while on Thursday night it seemed like we might get a repeat of that performance.
The Vikings scored on the first drive, easily marching down the field. The Rams responded with a touchdown, the Vikings did not waste any time and responded immediately with Sam Darnold’s second touchdown pass of the game and then Kupp scored to tie the game. Four possessions, four touchdowns. It was an exciting back-and-forth showdown between two elite offensive coaches, who also happen to be friends.
“It was just so much fun,” Kupp said. “Offensively, we were just able to find ways to keep the sticks moving. Guys were just doing their jobs, and it was pretty cool to see us going.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Vikings had trouble with Nacua, playing his first game since Week 1, after missing time due to a knee injury. Nacua picked up right where he left off and was over 100 yards receiving before the third quarter ended.
The defenses were able to find their bearing after the early scoring flurry. Both sides had trouble sustaining drives before halftime. Then, with less than a minute left in the second quarter and the Vikings backed up on their own 3-yard line, Darrisaw, Minnesota’s superstar left tackle, had his leg rolled up on during a run play and he had to be helped to the locker room.
The Vikings did not look like the team that people expected would finish in the basement in the NFC North, but they did not resemble the team that was one of the two final undefeated teams in the NFL less than a week ago.
“I think we were close on some plays,” O’Connell said. “But when you’re playing against that quarterback, and those receivers getting healthy and getting out there and making some plays for them, I just think it comes down to (whether we) can get enough rush and coverage working together to maybe not give a quarterback like that a couple extra clicks.”
The Rams took a lead late in the third quarter on a deep pass from Stafford to Demarcus Robinson for a 25-yard touchdown. The Vikings were in prime position to get a touchdown of their own, but Jalen Nailor let a ball go right through his fingers and dropped a third-down pass that was going to be a first down and maybe a touchdown. The Vikings were forced to settle for a field goal. That is the type of huge error the Vikings rarely made during their 5-0 start.
There were other blunders. The Vikings committed multiple defensive penalties on third downs, keeping Rams drives alive. The defense that confused many in a hot start did not confuse the dynamic Super Bowl-winning McVay or Stafford. Stafford was rarely pressured and was not sacked once.
Another third-down penalty in the fourth quarter led to Robinson’s second touchdown with 6:17 remaining. Darnold took a costly sack and threw incomplete on third-and-21, leading to a punt. The Rams’ defense has not been mediocre at best this season, but the Vikings could not do much against it.
To help chew up most of the rest of the clock, the Rams used the Vikings’ aggressive nature against them. On a third-and-9, they ran a play that looked like a short wide receiver screen to Nacua. But Stafford was able to buy time, waited and threw deep to Kupp for a 27-yard gain. The Vikings had another shot, but the Rams’ punt went out of bounds at the 3-yard line with 1:46 to go and the Vikings Minnesota having no timeouts. Darnold was sacked for a safety by Byron Young, Young got away with a facemask penalty, and that ended the Vikings’ comeback attempt.
“I believe in this group,” said coach Sean McVay, who became the winningest coach in Rams history with his 80th victory. “I saw resolve. I didn’t see a flinch. … We’ve done a good job of getting ourselves back to where we wanted to be.”
The Vikings’ schedule eases up in upcoming weeks. But after being the talk of the NFL, they will have to go back to the drawing board and reinvent themselves to avoid a longer losing streak.
The Vikings host Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts in a Sunday night game on November 3.
The Rams travel to Seattle to face their rival Geno Smith and the Seahawks on November 3.
