INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Nothing went the Vikings way on the West Coast.
Minnesota's defense spent a grueling 39-plus minutes on the field Thursday night and allowed the Chargers to run away with the game 37-10.
The team recognizes there really aren't any justifications.
"Nothing much to say," Head Coach Kevin O'Connell said postgame. "We got out-played. We got out-coached.
"There are no excuses. Injuries, short week, whatever," he added. "It is not in any way, shape or form our standard of what we want to put on the field."
On a short week and coming off a difficult loss to the Eagles, the Vikings defense struggled across the board.
Justin Herbert made plays with his arm and legs alike, evading much of Minnesota's pressure and racking up 62 rushing yards. The Chargers QB was 18-of-25 passing for three touchdowns and one interception with a 122.8 passer rating. Jonathan Greenard and Jonathan Allen did record a sack apiece of Herbert, but the Vikings couldn't fully rattle him.
"We've got to figure out how to get these mobile quarterbacks, these running quarterbacks, on the ground [so they] stop extending plays," Joshua Metellus said. "We can have the best play [called] and we can play it exactly how we're supposed to play it, but if the play extends and things get uncovered that you can't prepare for, things like that happen.
"This is what the league is," he added. "If you look at our schedule, we're going to play two of the best mobile quarterbacks at some point this year. So, we'll have to figure out what we do well."