5 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss to the Ravens in Week 9

Time of possession killed the defense

For fans of the Vikings, this game felt like the offense wasn’t on the field a lot. That is verified when looking at the time of possession. Baltimore controlled the ball for 46:04 compared to only 23:40 for Minnesota, which is unacceptable.

To make matters worse, the Ravens ran 89 plays on Sunday compared to only 52 for the Vikings. This lopsided ratio is a good reason the defense gave up a total of 34 points to the Ravens in Week 9.

Baltimore averages 29.5 points per game at home, and it’s not shocking they were able to surpass that total against Minnesota. The Vikings were exhausted from chasing Lamar Jackson around the field, and being on the field for over 46 minutes of the game means they had to do this way more than they should have needed to.

Of course, the time of possession is a little bit of a misleading stat since Kene Nwangu had a beautiful kickoff return touchdown. However, the three-and-outs were ugly, and the Vikings should be ashamed of picking up only 13 first downs on the day.