The Minnesota Vikings fell flat against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday coming off of their biggest win of the season on the road against the Detroit Lions the week before.
The offense committed eight false start penalties over the course of the afternoon, which quarterback J.J. McCarthy addressed during his postgame press conference.
“It was there, we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. I take full responsibility for the pre-snap procedural penalties. We got three turnovers and just, you know, too many things that don’t set us up for success when the clock hits zero,” McCarthy said. “So we just gotta go back to work, watch this film and really clean up all the little things, because that’s what hurt us today.”
“As a quarterback you’re the orchestrator of the orchestra,” he continued. “I take full responsibility for anything that happens on that field.”
McCarthy finished the day 20-of-42 passing for 248 yards, one TD and two INTs. Kick returner Myles Price also fumbled the ball twice on the day, losing one of those fumbles to the Ravens’ special teams unit.
Vikings Face Brutal Schedule Over Next 3 Weeks
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell also spoke to the unforced errors that cumulatively may have cost Minnesota its chance to get to 5-4.
“We got to have a conversation as a group,” O’Connell said. “That’s been a huge point of what we think it’s going to take to win the game every week … talking with the team about eliminating those self-inflicted [mistakes], and we didn’t do that in any way, shape, or form. We’ve got to fix it.”
Minnesota is now 4-5 and sitting in last place in the NFC North Division. The team’s upcoming schedule is brutal, hosting the Chicago Bears (6-3) next week before back-to-back road games against the Green Bay Packers (5-2-1) and Seattle Seahawks (6-2). The Packers play the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football” in Week 10, while Seattle currently holds a 31-point lead over the Arizona Cardinals late in the first half.
There will be no room for mindless mistakes in Minnesota over the remainder of November, lest the Vikings play themselves out of legitimate playoff contention before December arrives.
Kevin O’Connell Praises Vikings’ Fight, as Fans Accuse Justin Jefferson of Lacking Effort
GettyWide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Despite all of the penalties and turnovers, Minnesota still had a chance down eight points with the football near the end of the fourth quarter.
“To have the football with a chance to tie the game there at the end was an encouraging thing considering how many things we did [that] we can’t do if we want to beat a good football team like that,” O’Connell continued. “The players fought, they tried to overcome some things we did to ourselves.”
While O’Connell praised his team’s fight, even in the face of overwhelming and unforced errors, a portion of the fan base questioned the effort of wide receiver Justin Jefferson on social media. Jefferson finished the day with four catches for 37 yards.
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