As he lamented the loss following Sunday’s home game between the Vikings and Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed that he was ready to let rookie kicker Will Reichard try a 68-yard field goal that would have won it.
The fact that O’Connell even considered trotting him out in that situation speaks to how good Reichard has been so far this season. Never mind that it would have set a new NFL record. He legitimately might have made it had he actually gotten the chance.
After quarterback Sam Darnold found receiver Jalen Nailor for a 20-yard gain in the final seconds, however, the Vikings were whistled for an illegal formation as they spiked the ball to stop the clock. That pushed them back far enough that O’Connell decided a Hail Mary would be a better option. On the next play, Darnold was taken down for a sack, and the Vikings walked off the field with a 31-29 loss.
“We’ve got to find a way to eliminate some of the things that set us back,” O’Connell said. “There are a lot of areas we can improve on.”
It’s fitting that the final possession was marred by a penalty at a pivotal moment. That has been a recurring problem for the Vikings this season, and while they’ve managed to overcome it for the most part on their way to a 5-1 record, it’s not a sustainable model for success.
Sometimes the little things make the biggest difference. That’s a hard lesson the Vikings learned against the Lions as a collection of mistakes came back to bite them.
Whether it was receiver Jordan Addison lining up offside before the snap to negate a scramble from Darnold, running back Ty Chandler bear-hugging a defender after the snap to negate a 30-yard gain from tight end Johnny Mundt, or any of the other miscues along the way, the Vikings didn’t do much to help themselves against the Lions.
You can get away with that type of stuff against, say, the New York Giants, with maligned quarterback Daniel Jones looking like he’s completely forgotten how to play the position. You can’t get away with that type of stuff against a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Especially if the Vikings want to be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders themselves.
“We challenge everybody to look inward and see if we can do just a little bit more,” O’Connell said. “Because I have a ton of confidence in our team.”
He should given how the Vikings have performed to this point. Not only have they proven they have what it takes to compete at a high level, they have proven they can go blow for blow with some of the best teams in the NFL when they’re at the peak of their powers.
The next step for the Vikings is proving they have the discipline required to fix some of the issues at hand. They can’t be making life easier on any of their future opponents. The margin for error in the NFL is simply too small for that.
“Just continuing to provide as much clarity as we can from a standpoint of the plan itself,” O’Connell said. “When we get all 11 guys doing their job, it’s been very rare for us not to have success.”
The hope within the Vikings is if they work tirelessly to limit some of the little things that have been plaguing them, they will eventually eliminate them altogether. The process of working toward the goal starts with Thursday’s road game between the Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Related Articles
Vikings vs. Colts on Nov. 3 flexed to Sunday Night Football
Five takeaways from the Vikings’ 31-29 loss to the Lions
Lions ride Jared Goff to fourth straight victory over Vikings
Vikings fall to Lions 31-29 in first loss of the season
Aaron Jones suits up for Vikings against Lions despite hamstring injury
Leave a Reply