Overtime was needed on Sunday, but the Minnesota Vikings got a big win over the Carolina Panthers to improve their record to 3-3 this season.
With less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings were in front of the Carolina Panthers by 11 points. It seemed like the Vikings were on their way to an easy win.
But then the Panthers found a way to tie the game up and force and overtime. Minnesota didn’t mess around in the overtime period, however, as Kirk Cousins connected with K.J. Osborn on a beautiful game-winning 27-yard touchdown.
With the win, the Vikings are now sitting with a 3-3 record and things are starting to feel like they’re heading in the right direction. As the dust continues to settle, what are some of the quick takeaways from Minnesota’s latest dramatic victory?
Quick thoughts on the Vikings win over the Panthers in Week 6
Thielen’s still got it – During the last few weeks, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has struggled to perform at the high level that the team has become accustomed to seeing from him.
But on Sunday against the Panthers, Thielen re-emerged and let everyone know that he can still come up with big plays for Minnesota. The veteran Vikings receiver finished with 11 catches for 126 yards and one impressive touchdown catch on the side of the end zone in the third quarter that was Cris Carter-esque.
Vikings offense continues to play afraid – Early in Sunday’s game, Minnesota found themselves in a 4th-and-2 situation from the Panthers’ seven-yard line.
Instead of going for the first down and possibly ending the drive with a touchdown, the Vikings opted to kick a 25-yard field goal. It didn’t end up playing much of a factor this week, but against some of the tougher teams in the NFL, Minnesota cannot afford to settle for field goals if they want to make any noise at all this season.
Kendricks can only make one-handed catches – After making an incredible one-handed interception last week against the Detroit Lions, Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks had an opportunity to pick off another pass on Sunday in Carolina.
A pass from Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold hit Kendricks right in the hands. Unfortunately, the Minnesota linebacker wasn’t able to come up with the interception this week. It’s okay though, Kendricks still had himself another impressive afternoon against Carolina on Sunday that included a big-time fumble recovery in the third quarter.
Minnesota needs to cut down on the penalties – As is the case with settling for field goals, getting flagged for penalties in key situations isn’t going to do the Vikings any favors this season either.
On Sunday, Minnesota was penalized 11 times for 98 yards and four of these calls resulted in first downs for Carolina. During their week off, the Vikings reducing their penalties absolutely must be a point of emphasis.
More quick thoughts from Minnesota’s win over Carolina
Minnesota snaps streak of no second-half touchdowns – After struggling during their first two drives of the third quarter, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook put points on the board with a 15-yard touchdown run.
The score was Minnesota’s first trip to the end zone in the second half for the first time since Cook had a one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of their Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Just when the special teams was looking good – Compared to last season, the Vikings’ special teams has vastly improved. However, there’s still plenty for the unit to work on and this was on display on Sunday in Carolina.
Midway through the third quarter, the Panthers ended up blocking a punt attempt by Jordan Berry, which then resulted in Carolina safety Kenny Robinson picking up the football and returning it into the end zone for a touchdown.
Breeland turning things around? – During Minnesota’s first five games this season, cornerback Bashaud Breeland has arguably been the worst member of the team’s starting defense.
However, Breeland came up with an impressive interception on Sunday. On Carolina’s first offensive play of the game, Sam Darnold threw a pass to his right, which wound up getting picked off by the veteran Vikings cornerback.
Breeland’s interception should at least give him a nice confidence boost heading into the bye next week.
Even more quick thoughts from Minnesota’s win over Carolina
Cousins back to being on fire – Kirk Cousins got off to a hot start this season, but he definitely cooled off during the Vikings’ games in Week 4 and Week 5.
On Sunday, however, Cousins got back to playing more like the way he was earlier this year. Against the Panthers, Minnesota’s veteran quarterback completed 69 percent of his passes for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns for a 112.6 passer rating.
And obviously, Cousins led the Vikings on a game-winning drive in overtime that ended with him tossing a beautiful touchdown pass to K.J. Osborn.
Minnesota’s defense made Darnold’s day miserable – In his first season with the Panthers, quarterback Sam Darnold has apparently been showing some of the flashes that made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
This wasn’t the case on Sunday though. Thanks to the Vikings pass rush generating a bunch of pressure and the team’s secondary performing well when defending the pass (and Carolina’s receivers dropping 57 passes), Darnold put up some pretty terrible numbers.
The Carolina quarterback only completed 41 percent of his passes for 207 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in addition to a 55.6 passer rating.
It doesn’t sound like Peterson’s injury is serious – Against the Panthers on Sunday, Patrick Peterson delivered a marvelous performance. Carolina kept thinking it was a good idea to throw in Peterson’s direction, and each time, he made them regret it.
Unfortunately, the veteran corner had to leave the game late in the fourth quarter with what looked like a leg injury. The injury was severe enough that Peterson needed to be helped off the field by Minnesota’s training staff.
However, the Vikings later revealed that the corner was dealing with some cramps and that’s why he needed to leave the game. With an extra week to recover, we should expect Peterson to probably be on the field when Minnesota takes on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.