Vikings have no one to blame but themselves after loss to Bengals
"It's a game of inches" is one of the most-used cliches in football, but it's also the most tried and true cliche in the game.And the Minnesota Vikings were reminded of that during their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. For starters, an amazing touchdown catch by Tee Higgins -one in which he […]
"It's a game of inches" is one of the most-used cliches in football, but it's also the most tried and true cliche in the game.
And the Minnesota Vikings were reminded of that during their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15.
For starters, an amazing touchdown catch by Tee Higgins -one in which he needed every inch to make it happen- sent the game into overtime and put both teams in must-have situations as the matchup's final 10 minutes ticked off the clock and made each decision and every play call matter that much more.
But it was Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell's decisions to run back-to-back quarterback sneaks on 3rd and 4th downs that had less than a yard to go are not only the ones that stand out the most – they are the ones that played the biggest part in the Vikings' heartbreaking loss.
The decision to run consecutive sneaks is what should be most bothersome, here. Nick Mullens was stuffed on the first attempt, so it hardly makes sense that the Vikings would have success on the second attempt, no matter how small the distance was at the time.
"I think any time you're really the first time, inside of a couple feet, and then on the last one, we're looking at about four or five inches, there," O'Connell told reporters after the game. "[We] don't really want to have to turn around and extend the ball and trust our guys in that moment to execute one of these, you know, staying 11 personnel to try to keep them out of you know, goal line defense or anything like that. [We] thought we could execute with some interior push, right there. But you know, based upon how it was spotted they got to stop and then transitioned that to an explosive to give themselves a chance to win the game."
The fact O'Connell didn't want to trust another player in the backfield to execute the call is pretty mind-boggling. Especially when adding the fact O'Connell had Ty Chandler in the backfield, at the time. You know, the guy who torched the Bengals run defense for 132-yards and a touchdown on 23 carries? The guy who averaged 5.7 yards per carry and showed very good vision throughout the game?
You know, the guy who should be carrying the ball in situations like that one. And the ultimate irony is center Garrett Bradbury and quarterback Nick Mullens messed the play up, from the jump. O'Connell's paranoia cost the Vikings the game, nothing more and nothing less.
O'Connell has done a very good job this year, all things considering. But Saturday's loss is easily one of the worst coaching jobs he's done since he's been in Minnesota. If he doesn't learn from this latest gaffe, the Vikings' season will take a very drastic turn over these last few weeks.
