All the hard work the Vikings put in on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field almost fell by the wayside after they failed to recover an onside kick in the final minute.
That paved the way for Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos to send the game into overtime with a 48-yard field goal as time expired.
As proud as head coach Kevin O’Connell was that the Vikings still managed to escape with a 30-27 overtime win, he also was irked that lack of execution on the onside kick nearly cost them.
What went wrong? Though it looked like nothing more than a fluky bounce, it was actually a misread by tight end Johnny Mundt that resulted in the ball hitting him.
Asked about the particular play, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said as soon as Mundt realized it was going to be a watermelon kick, he should’ve attacked the ball rather than engaged in a block.
“He’s got to have some awareness right there,” Daniels said. “He didn’t see where the ball was at.”
The use of the watermelon kick has become much more common across the NFL over the past few seasons.
It’s executed by placing the ball on its side and kicking the point to create a spinning motion. The hope is to create enough spin with the watermelon kick that the ball travels the required 10 yards.
The only issue? The rules say the kicking team can’t touch any member of the receiving team on an onside kick until the ball crosses 10 yards.
That’s why Daniels has stressed to his players the importance of attacking the ball in those situations.
“That’s the No. 1 thing,” Daniels said. “As soon as we see it’s a watermelon kick, we are going to go get the ball.”
Pace on injured list
After suffering a hamstring injury over the weekend, linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has been placed on injured reserve.
As a result, he will have to miss at least the next month, with the Vikings hoping he can be ready to return by the time the playoffs roll around. It’s a tough blow for the Vikings heading into the home stretch as Pace has developed into a key contributor on defense.
As a way to add some depth amid the loss, the Vikings signed linebacker Jamin Davis to their active roster, poaching him from the Green Bay Packers, who had signed him to their practice squad.
There might be some untapped potential in Davis considering the Washington Commanders selected him the first round of the 2021 draft. He has totaled 282 tackles, seven sacks, an interception and a pair of forced fumbles across 50 NFL games.
Additionally, the Vikings also activated edge rusher Gabe Murphy from injured reserve.
Quessenberry fills in
The benefit of having veteran left tackle David Quessenberry on the roster is that he has proven capable of going into a game on short notice.
After stepping up last month when star left tackle Christian Darrisaw went down with a knee injury, Quessenberry had his number called over the weekend when veteran left tackle Cam Robinson left the game with a foot injury.
Though there were some ups and downs for Quessenberry in the game, his presence allowed the Vikings to continue to run their offense.
“I thought he came in and played really well,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “The left side really wasn’t an issue with him in there. We weren’t thinking like, ‘Oh god. We’ve got to get chips over there. We’ve got to try to formation these things where we can help him out every play.’ We felt pretty comfortable with him felling in and playing that role.”
Evans gets claimed
After being cut by the Vikings over the weekend, cornerback Akayleb Evans was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers. It will be a fresh start for Evans as he looks to get his career back on track.
Though he started 15 games for the Vikings last season, Evans barely played at all on defense this season. He was buried on the depth chart behind veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, veteran cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., and veteran cornerback Shaq Griffin.
Why didn’t it work out for Evans?
“Sometimes it becomes a numbers situation,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. “He’s a talented player who has a place in this league. I wish him all the best in Carolina. He’s going to do a great job for them.”
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