Minnesota Vikings’ inconsistent performance highlighted by the biggest winners and losers in Sunday’s loss vs. Baltimore Ravens
This was a brutal loss for the Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings struggled massively on Sunday afternoon against the Baltimore Ravens, resulting in a 27-19 loss.
Throughout the game, there were multiple reasons why the Vikings couldn’t get it together and secure the win. From J.J. McCarthy struggling on multiple levels to Justin Jefferson having everything go against him, this wasn’t good enough from the Vikings.
The winners and losers on the day are pretty straightforward, but they tell a bigger story.
Winners from Minnesota Vikings’ loss against Baltimore Ravens in NFL Week 10
RB Aaron Jones
When the Vikings have their top running back in the game, the offense is performing at its best. It’s just on a different level with the burst and explosiveness that Jones provides. Jordan Mason is a good player to complement what Jones provides, but the offense is so much better when Jones is out there.
As much as the run game was working for the Vikings, they went away from it as the game went on.
WR Jalen Nailor
This was not a banner day for the Vikings’ wide receivers overall. Justin Jefferson struggled throughout and received some fair criticism for his performance. The one player that you cannot criticize is Jalen Nailor, who was arguably the best player on the team Sunday afternoon.
He caught the 62-yard pass from McCarthy on the first drive and also a key fourth down late in the game to extend a drive. To top it all off, Nailor also caught a touchdown from quarterback J.J. McCarthy later in that drive on fourth down. Being a free agent at the end of the season, this is a breakout performance from him that could get him a lot of money on the open market.
Losers from Minnesota Vikings’ loss against Baltimore Ravens in NFL Week 10
KR Myles Price
Going into the game, Price had a case to be an All-Pro if it weren’t for the penalties on 10 of his returns this season. Well, that case cratered.
He fumbled two kickoffs in the second half, with one being recovered by the Ravens. That’s not ideal for anyone, but it can especially be catastrophic for a returner. This is the kind of performance that can get you cut, and it wouldn’t be a shocker if that’s what the Vikings choose to do.
QB J.J. McCarthy’s cadence
When you miss a lot of time at quarterback, there are a lot of things that you miss out on, with the obvious one being overall development. Outside of that, the biggest one is chemistry. From calling plays in the huddle to the cadence at the line of scrimmage, that was a disaster on Sunday.
Despite being the home team, the Vikings had eight false start penalties. That’s a bad number for any game, but it’s catastrophic for a home team. That needs to be a focus this week during practice.
HC Kevin O’Connell
There are numerous things that the Vikings team did wrong on Sunday afternoon. From the miscues on special teams to the ridiculous roughing the passer penalty, and a whopping eight false starts on offense, it was brutal across the board.
The other element of this discussion stems from Kevin O’Connell’s play-calling. Going into this week, they have had third and two or less 22 times with only 10 rushing attempts in those situations.
O’Connell attempted a shot play on a third-and-one, but it ended up being an interception because Justin Jefferson fell down. There is some serious criticism that O’Connell deserves coming out of this game.