This game was a total and embarrassing disaster on both sides of the ball. Unacceptable performance and results all around for the Vikings. Anyone knows it is ugly if your opponent is never forced to punt, not once? The first play of the game is a gross pass/gross missed throw by Wentz intended for Aaron Jones in the flat. Why am I not surprised with that poor throw after watching the Eagles game on Sunday? Wentz and the offense just not moving the ball consistently or effectively. Honestly, I would rather see Max Brosmer out there than watch Wentz continue to flail around in pain and injured if J.J. McCarthy can't play? And our defense looks like a kitchen colander trying to hold water? Our defense cannot stop a darn thing, especially on third downs and when needed at the end of the first half to give our offense a chance to score before halftime. I bet Justin Herbert wishes he could play us twice a year. Overall, sad and disappointing, just like Tyler Batty's return from injury when he immediately commits two holding penalties on our kickoff returns? Inexcusable, not sure why they would even play him on the kickoff return team if he can't do better than that?
Below are my 3 Ups and 3 Downs for the game:
1. I guess it is good to score three points on a 54-yard FG by Will Reichard — nice kick for sure. However, it is not good for our offense to score yet another FG rather than a TD.
2. The Vikings defense forced a Chargers FG rather than giving up another TD to start the second half.
3. Nice interception by Joshua Mettelus, followed by yet another FG instead of a TD. Oh, but wait, the Vikings pull a rabbit out of K.O.'s hat and we score a fourth-down TD after back-to-back Chargers gift penalties. Wow. However, that sequence was followed by the defense allowing another fourth-quarter TD drive and then the inevitable Wentz interception. Please make it stop!
1. On the Chargers first possession, it is third-and-13 inside their 20. Why am I not surprised that Herbert hit Keenan Allen for a first down, resulting in a sustained 14-play TD scoring drive by the Chargers. Hint for Vikings: Try making it a priority to cover Keenan Allen this time around.
2. The Chargers drive at the end of the first half. Just horrific. We have a chance to get off the field with them pinned deep but allow another third-down conversion to Allen? Then Herbert runs through our defense? Followed by an easy pitch and catch for a third TD? The sad truth is that the Vikings defense is just weak and soft and mediocre at best. A downright weak and embarrassing first half. Please make it stop.
3. John Harbaugh and his coaches outcoached K.O. and the Vikings in a bad and painfully obvious way. K.O.'s game plans on both offense and defense were definitively ineffective and poorly conceived — just rewatch the entire game and see for yourself. The Vikings defense gave up a hundred yards rushing to a third-string guy? Time to take a long hard look at how and why our defense performed so poorly. The offense, too, for that matter. All in all, an epic coaching failure.
If we play like this next week against the Lions, we will be exposed again on both sides of the ball — and it will be ugly. Hopefully we can see J.J. McCarthy back on the field. After seeing Wentz go down numerous times and in major pain, K.O. leaves him in? What? Why? Using that standard, I was thinking we should see J.J. against the Lions for sure. In fact, here is my advice to JJ: "Tape it up and get back out there!" … before the season is lost.
Respectfully,
— Jeff Ludwig
It was just Batty's second career game after opening the season on Injured Reserve. Coaches clearly like what he had shown before suffering a knee injury to apply one of eight total (teams that make the playoffs get two more) applications of the Designated for Return from Injured Reserve tags this season. He started 45 of 53 games at BYU and is adjusting to the NFL kickoff. He's also not the only one to have a penalty negate a considerable return in that phase this season. Those issues need to be resolved because the Vikings seem to have little room for error and are not taking the football away this season.
The condition of Minnesota's offensive line — playing without right tackle Brian O'Neill, having left tackle Christian Darrisaw leave the game after nine plays, starting Blake Brandel at center for the third time and rookie Donovan Jackson making his fifth career start at left guard — led the Vikings to try to lean on Wentz's experience to offset the dearth of that quality up front. O'Connell said Wentz kept saying he was good to go back in the game. It was almost like watching a movie — you could pick from a bunch, but I'll go with Bruce Willis in Armageddon or Randy Quaid in Independence Day — where an admirable character shows courage to benefit others.
K.O. still won't run the QB sneak. He keeps outsmarting himself, trying to pass again on third-and-1.
— Terry Terrigno
I think Terry's email was the first of many sent during Thursday's game in response to Minnesota's play selection on third-and-1. Terry had emailed after passes against Philly on second-and-1, third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 in Week 7.
There may have been some reluctance to have Wentz attempt a sneak given the status of his left shoulder, but a substantial offseason effort was placed on getting better at running the ball in third-and-short.
I'm sure O'Connell expected the backside blitz to get picked up by the running back — it didn't — to enable a chunk gain and get into scoring range, but there also could have been value in moving the chains and staying on the field. A long opening drive when receiving the first kickoff is a good way to remove energy from an opponent's fan base.
The Vikings are 6-for-9 when running the ball on third-and-1, which still has room for improvement but is better than Minnesota's 0-for-3 showing when throwing the ball on third-and-1.