3 Top Takeaways: Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints – Week 8

This loss belongs to the coaching staff

Following the fumble by Adam Thielen that resulted in the Saints taking a four point lead, the Vikings’ offense got the ball back with two time outs left and 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

With the way Minnesota was tearing up New Orleans’ secondary up to that point, attempting to get at least three more points before the half didn’t seem like it would be too difficult of a task. However, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer clearly felt differently.

Instead of trying to cut the Saints’ lead, Minnesota just handed the ball off to Mike Boone to run out the clock and head into their locker room. Apparently Zimmer wasn’t confident enough in his offense that was averaging 7.3 yards per play in the first half.

Minnesota’s head coach wasn’t done yet with his puzzling decisions on Sunday night though.

On the their first offensive drive of the second half, the Vikings were facing a 4th and 1 from their own 45-yard line. Instead of punting the ball away to a New Orleans offense that Minnesota was doing pretty well at containing up to that point, Zimmer decided to go for the first down.

Minnesota Vikings

So with just one yard to gain for a first down, Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo decided to get in on the questionable decision-making shenanigans. DeFilippo went ahead and called a pass play instead of handing the ball off to running back Latavius Murray, who averaged 5.8 yards per carry in the first half.

Minnesota snapped the ball and proceeded to take the air out of U.S. Bank Stadium as they failed to convert the first down thanks to Laquon Treadwell dropping a pass that hit his hands (surprise!).

After the Vikings turned the ball over on downs, the Saints only drove 21 yards down the field but it was enough to be in field goal range thanks to starting on Minnesota’s 45-yard line. New Orleans ended up increasing their lead by seven points with 42-yard field from kicker Wil Lutz.

The decisions made by Zimmer and DeFilippo at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter had a tremendous impact on the Vikings losing on Sunday.

Yes, Thielen fumbled and Kirk Cousins threw a pick-six. But it seemed like the poor decisions made by Minnesota’s coaching staff had more of an effect on Sunday’s outcome than the mistakes made by the team’s actual players on the field.