The up and down season for the Minnesota Vikings continued as their two-game winning streak came to an end with a loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
We’ve reached the must-win part of the season for the Minnesota Vikings, and in the first of the final three games on their schedule, they failed to leave U.S. Bank Stadium with a win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Instead, the Vikings are back to having a record under .500 at 7-8 following a 30-23 loss to the Rams. Time is running out for Minnesota to earn a spot in this season’s playoffs and Sunday’s loss isn’t going to do them any favors.
What are some of the initial takeaways we can draw from the Vikings’ performance against Los Angeles this weekend?
Quick thoughts on the Vikings loss to the Rams
Jefferson gets the record: Obviously, he would have liked to get a win on Sunday, but Justin Jefferson‘s 116 receiving yards this week gave him 2,851 receiving yards in the last two seasons, which is the NFL record for the most by a player in his first two years in the league.
Jefferson is a special player, and moving forward, the Vikings have to figure out how to be better at taking more advantage of his impressive performances out on the field every week.
What was the point of signing Tomlinson and Pierce?: Last season, the Vikings struggled mightily to stop their opponent’s rushing attack. So they went out and signed big defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson in the offseason to combine with Michael Pierce and create a massive wall of human in the middle of their front-four.
Well, Minnesota’s run defense is either worse or just as bad as it was in 2020 because it certainly hasn’t improved this year. The Rams had zero trouble running the ball on Sunday as they finished with 33 carries for 159 yards (4.8 average).
More quick thoughts from Minnesota’s loss to Los Angeles
Mattison fails to make up for the loss of Cook: Thanks to Dalvin Cook being placed on Minnesota’s Reserve/COVID-19 list, Alexander Mattison got the start at running back on Sunday against the Rams.
Mattison has done well when filling in for Cook in the past, including earlier this season. However, the Vikings running back only managed to rush for 41 yards and catch three passes for 29 yards in the loss to the Rams. Mattison did score a touchdown, but Minnesota needed more from him against Los Angeles than just 70 total yards.
Complimentary football fails Minnesota again: Just when momentum seemed to be heading in the Vikings’ direction after a touchdown run by Mattison in the third quarter pulled them within three points of the Rams, Los Angeles responded by reaching the end zone with a 61-yard punt return by Brandon Powell.
That quickly deflated any confidence that Minnesota had been able to regain at that point and the touchdown made it really feel like there wasn’t going to be anything the Vikings could do to get a win on Sunday.
Barr gifts the Vikings opportunities: With the offense struggling to get points, Minnesota linebacker Anthony Barr was able to get his hands on two interceptions on Sunday that put the Vikings within 12 yards of the end zone. Thanks to the tremendous effort of Barr, Minnesota was able to turn those two turnovers into 10 points.
Pass defense much better without Breeland: In addition to the two interceptions Barr had on Sunday, Vikings safety Xavier Woods also came up with a pick early in the third quarter. Overall, Minnesota’s pass defense has shown a lot of improvement since the decision to part ways with starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland two weeks ago.
In their last two games, the Vikings are allowing a completion rate of 61.8 percent, 6.3 yards per attempt, and opposing quarterbacks have a combined 72.4 passer rating against them.
Even more quick thoughts from Minnesota’s loss to Los Angeles
Stafford struggles in familiar venue: As a former member of the Detroit Lions, U.S. Bank Stadium is not a foreign building to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Despite his familiarity with Minnesota’s home field, Stafford had a day to forget.
The Los Angeles quarterback completed just 56.8 percent of his passes on Sunday for just 197 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. It was the first time Stafford has thrown for less than 240 yards in a game all season long.
Thielen has a frustrating day: Questionable before the start of the game with an injured ankle, it looked like Adam Thielen was going to be able to make an impact for the Vikings on Sunday. But then he re-injured his ankle in the first half and it kept him off of the field for pretty much the rest of the matchup.
Thielen’s ankle will definitely be something to keep an eye on during the upcoming week as Minnesota’s offense is much better whenever he’s on the field.
Playoff chances hanging on by a thread: With Sunday’s loss to the Rams, the Vikings now have a 12 percent chance to make the playoffs this season according to FiveThirtyEight. Minnesota basically needs to win the final two games on their schedule and hope for some help in order to get a spot in the postseason.
Vikings on the road next week: Things aren’t about to get any easier for the Vikings as they will make their annual trip to Lambeau Field next week to take on the Green Bay Packers in primetime. Minnesota was able to defeat the Packers back in Week 11 and the Vikings will need to get another win over Green Bay next Sunday if they want to stay alive in the NFC playoff race.