The Minnesota Vikings dropped to 4-5 after a 27-19 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens on November 9 at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was a tough outing for the offense, which was flagged for eight false starts even with the home crowd behind them.
Nonetheless, the Vikings did their best to fend off the Ravens’ offense, which they did to an extent. Baltimore didn’t find the end zone in the first half, but Minnesota couldn’t take advantage of the stops they were getting to pull away from the opposition.
Eventually, the Ravens would chip away at the deficit and take the lead for good. Despite the defense’s efforts, it came at a cost for the group, with linebacker Jonathan Greenard suffering a shoulder injury.
However, that might have been a scare and a precautionary approach to keep him out of the contest. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said at a Monday press conference that there was “good news” after further evaluation of the shoulder (h/t Pro Football Talk).
O’Connell added that the team will “see how he does throughout the week” and that he could potentially play against the Chicago Bears in Week 11.
Greenard has totaled 31 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble while starting every game for the Vikings this season. O’Connell also said that safety Theo Jackson has cleared the concussion protocol and should return to action this week.
Can the Vikings Offense Overcome Latest Issues?
According to ESPN, the eight false start penalties matched the second-highest total in a single game since 2000. Afterward, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to reporters about the problem.
“Well, I think we got to have a conversation as a group,” O’Connell told reporters postgame. ‘What transpired? It doesn’t feel like all eight of those were the same scenario, the same sequence. We try to eliminate them all.
“That’s been a huge point of what we think it’s going to take to win the game every week, whether it’s Monday or Wednesday or Friday, talking with the team about eliminating those self-inflicteds, and we didn’t do that in any way, shape, or form. We’ve got to fix it. We’ve got to understand what was different today than what had been something we felt like we eliminated from maybe early on in the season.”
Justin Jefferson Continues to Struggle
The Vikings hurt themselves with a string of false start penalties, but that wasn’t the only reason for their loss to the Ravens. Justin Jefferson also had a rough outing, catching just four of 12 targets for 37 yards against Baltimore.
This 2025 NFL season hasn’t gone the way Jefferson hoped. He’s topped 100 receiving yards in only two games, neither of which came with J.J. McCarthy under center. That connection between receiver and quarterback still hasn’t clicked, leaving Jefferson searching for the kind of rhythm that usually fuels his big games.
When asked after the game about dealing with the ups and downs that come with playing alongside a young quarterback, Jefferson made it clear he’s focused on moving forward with McCarthy.
“Just going back to work,“ Jefferson said. “Of course, giving him that motivation and giving those words to keep going keep fighting, not let the bad plays affect him. It falls on us as a whole offense.”
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