Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on from the field during the second quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ((Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - With the season potentially on the line, the Minnesota Vikings came up short in a 30-23 loss to the L.A. Rams at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings are now out of the NFC Playoffs with two regular season games left. They need to win out, and get some help, to be in the postseason and potentially save the jobs of the coaching staff. It’s a roster with too much talent to not have a playoff spot locked up, yet here we are.
The Vikings couldn’t run the ball consistently, and couldn’t stop Sony Michel. They didn’t play complementary football. They’re 7-8 with two games to play. Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s loss.
VIKINGS LACKED ENERGY IN BIGGEST GAME OF SEASON
It’s one thing to get beat by a better football team. It’s another to not be motivated to play when your season is on the line. Mike Zimmer addressed his team before kickoff, saying they needed to bring their own energy. Anthony Barr and Justin Jefferson said after the loss that the Vikings lacked energy from the start, and they didn’t play with energy until it was too late.
You control your own playoff destiny. If you win out, you’re win. You start slow and lack energy in the most important game of the season? Baffling, and it’s the sign of a coaching staff on thin ice.
"I won’t necessarily say the energy was just quite dead, it definitely wasn’t the same. As players, we have to do a better job of bringing our own juice," defensive back Patrick Peterson said Monday.
VIKINGS COULDN’T RUN, OR STOP THE RUN
Zimmer’s Vikings’ teams have been centered around running the ball, and stopping the run. They didn’t do either against the Rams. With Dalvin Cook out, on the COVID-19 list, Alexander Mattison had 13 carries for 41 yards. They averaged just three yards per carry.
The Rams were led by Sony Michel, who had 27 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown. The Rams ran for 159 yards on the Vikings, whose run defense under Zimmer has struggled most of the season.
JUSTIN JEFFERSON’S BIG DAY
Justin Jefferson made NFL history Sunday, becoming the all-time leader in receiving yards for a player in his first two seasons after having eight catches for 116 yards. He didn’t get to celebrate with a win, and let his frustrations with the offense be known after the loss and getting just one target in five red zone trips. With Cook out and Adam Thielen injured, Jefferson has been the most consistent offensive weapon this season.
THREE TURNOVERS, 10 POINTS
The Vikings intercepted Matthew Stafford three times, two by Anthony Barr. They didn’t do enough with the quick change. Mattison scored a touchdown off Barr’s second interception. They settled for a field goal after the first one. Kirk Cousins took a sack, hit Jefferson for five yards and Thielen for nine, short of a first down. Xavier Woods intercepted Stafford to open the second half, the Vikings got one first down before having to punt. Scoring off turnovers has been an issue most of the season, and it happened again Sunday.
The Vikings were 2-of-5 in the red zone, with Cousins passing just eight times in those five trips. They were also 2-of-12 on third down.
"We probably didn’t play well enough in all three phases. We just couldn’t finish enough plays to win the game," Zimmer said.
VIKINGS ALL BUT OUT OF PLAYOFFS
The Vikings are 7-8 with two games to play, and a trip to Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers awaits. Sunday’s loss dropped the Vikings out of the No. 7 spot to the No. 9 spot. They need wins over the Packers and Bears to end the season, and help from the Saints and Eagles to make the playoffs. The Vikings have between a 10 and 14 percent chance to make the playoffs, depending on different scenarios. Had they beaten the Rams, it would've been around 60 percent.
The Vikings have nobody to blame but themselves when it’s all said and done. They’ve had 14 of their 15 games come down to one possession, and they’re 6-8 in those games.
If they don’t make the postseason, changes are probably coming, and it might start with Zimmer.