Vikings lose at Lions 19-15 as offensive struggles continue
Vikings QB Kyler Murray: 'The confidence in the group is not going to waver'
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray spoke with reporters after Sunday's 19-15 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Murray was 17-for-29 passing for 210 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and was sacked three times.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings have leaned on their defense and special teams amid a 6-0 start to the season while the offense tries to figure things out with Kyler Murray.
Sunday, the dam broke as the defense got tired in the second half against the Lions, and Will Reichard showed he’s human, missing a 57-yard field goal. The bigger issue for the Vikings is they’re seven games in, and after Sunday’s 19-15 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, the biggest question for the offense is at quarterback.
Do the Vikings stick with Kyler Murray?
What we know:
Murray finished 17-of-29 for 210 yards, touchdowns to Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson, had one interception and was sacked three times. The Vikings ran for just 81 yards, they were 3-of-10 on third down and Murray missed open receivers with regularity.
Kevin O'Connell after Vikings' loss: 'Our first real adversity as a team'
Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell spoke with reporters after Sunday's 19-15 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The Vikings fall to 6-1 on the season, 2-1 in the NFC North Division and have a lot to fix on offense.
This, against a Lions’ defense that’s statistically one of the worst in the NFL.
The players said all the right things in the locker room after the game.
What they're saying:
Jordan Addison – "Everything is right there for us, we just gotta make the plays. I’m pretty sure the whole unit is frustrated. We know what we can do, we know what we’re capable of. We’re not playing to our level."
Vikings locker room reacts after 19-15 loss to Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings players Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, James Pierre, Josh Metellus, Aaron Jones, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel spoke from the locker room after Sunday's 19-15 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
T.J. Hockenson – "We know how close we are. I never waver with this team, I never waver with this offense. I never waver with these guys in this locker room. We have some of the best players in the world at their position, something you’ll never see me do is waver."
Josh Metellus – "We’re not worried about the offense, we’ve some guys over there and we know at any point in time they could put up 50 if they wanted."
Aaron Jones – "You’ve got to have urgency, we can’t keep putting it on our defense. We’ve got to have urgency to come out and execute at a high level. I feel like we’re close… We’ve got all the pieces we need, when we have to respond, we respond. But we gotta go earlier throwing haymakers."
Can the offense be fixed?
By the numbers:
Murray has made five starts this season, and played four full games. On paper, it hasn’t been pretty, but they’ve won with a dominating defense and special teams.
Through seven games, here’s where the Vikings rank in key offensive categories:
- 29th in yards per game
- 30th in passing yards per game
- 31st in offensive TDs per game
- 27th in PPG
- 27th on 3rd down
- 28th in yards per play
- 32nd in first downs per game
The Vikings let Sam Darnold walk two years ago in free agency, then traded J.J. McCarthy after Murray beat him out for the starting job. The Vikings are 6-1, but if the offense doesn’t get figured out, a hot start could spiral quickly.
The Vikings host the Buffalo Bills for Monday Night Football, face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and then finish a brutal four-game stretch facing the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.
What we don't know:
There’s no indication that a quarterback change is coming. But something needs to change before the season goes south.
"The confidence in the group is not going to waver. I know we have the guys in that locker room and on that side of the ball to be the best, that’s truly how I feel," Murray said. "But again, we’ve got to go out there and do it on Sundays. It’s too many my bads, it’s not good enough and it got us beat today."