Instant reaction: Vikings finally finish, surge past Chargers 27-20
Justin Jefferson starred in a resilient offensive performance
By Sam Ekstrom
As injuries have mounted on the Vikings defense, the offense has, up until now, fizzled under the extra pressure.
Finally, however — after weeks of frustration — the Vikings came alive in the second half to upend what seemed like a familiar script. Minnesota overcame a blown 10-point lead by rattling off 14 straight points between the third and fourth quarters and took down the AFC West-leading Los Angeles Chargers 27-20.
Not all is cured in Vikings Land, but talk of a lost season can be delayed at least another week, and next Sunday’s home game versus the Green Bay Packers offers a season-altering opportunity to get back to .500. Minnesota is part of a logjam of teams vying for the sixth and seventh seeds in the soft middle class of the NFC.
Whether the win restores your faith in the Vikings or not, it’s certainly deserving of the term ‘gutty.’ Following a tumultuous week of COVID scares, off-field controversy involving Dalvin Cook and a slew of bad injury news, the Vikings had enough in the tank after a draining loss at Baltimore to grind out a W. Their decimated but plucky defense was supplemented by a resilient offense with nice work on special teams throughout.
Good complementary football.
Kirk Cousins was far from perfect early on. The Vikings quarterback settled for checkdowns often and struggled on third downs. He also fumbled under pressure in the first half to squander a brilliant punt return by Dede Westbrook.
Rough starts like that have many times paralyzed Cousins for the duration of the game, but looking for a vital road win, it was imperative that the offense do something to avoid the same fate as Weeks 8 and 9 when they disappeared for a multi-quarter stretch. That something was a nine-play, 66-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter to turn a 17-13 deficit into a 20-17 lead, snapping 14 unanswered Los Angeles points. Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for 27 yards to get the drive going, then ended it with a fourth down play-action floater under pressure to Tyler Conklin in the back of the end zone.
That was the drive the Vikings couldn’t come up with against Cleveland, Dallas or Baltimore — anything to get the ball rolling back in the Vikings’ direction. Conklin’s touchdown seemed to give Minnesota’s defense some life and turn the tide. The Vikings forced a quick three and out, got the ball back and mounted a 68-yard scoring drive that ended in a Dalvin Cook 1-yard line plunge and upped the lead to 10.
Putting the opposition away: What a concept.
The Vikings had a boot-on-the-throat mentality they’d lacked all season. Inheriting the football with 4:36 to go and a 27-20 lead, Minnesota never surrendered possession. Cousins made bold throws to Jefferson and Thielen, while Mike Zimmer made a bold coaching decision, opting to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Chargers’ 36 instead of kicking a 54-yard field goal. The decision paid off as Cook dove ahead for a first down to get the Vikings into victory formation and a stress-free finish.
Imagine, Zimmer being the more aggressive coach against notorious risk-taker Brandon Staley, who was fairly conservative on the day.
It was helpful that Minnesota remembered to call Jefferson’s number throughout the afternoon. Egregiously ignored much of the last two weeks, Jefferson hauled in nine balls for 143 yards, including a huge third-and-6 leaping grab with inside of three minutes to go that helped the Vikings ice it. He made a handful of remarkable catches on the day, perhaps serving as a reminder that any target Jefferson’s way is a good target.
As Vikings fans have become accustomed to seeing, their team held an early lead against the Chargers. Minnesota is the only NFL team to lead by seven or more in each game, an astounding stat that demonstrates how demoralizing the 3-5 — now 4-5 — start has been.
After the two teams settled for field goals early on, Cousins hit Conklin on a tight-window throw for his first of two touchdown catches, giving the Vikings a 13-3 lead in the second quarter.
While things got dicey for the Vikings in the middle stages of the game, they finished in L.A. as well as they have all season, dodging the anxiety of another game that came down to the final play.
At least the Packers game will mean something as the Vikings try to get the season back on track.
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Stunning.... Competency and not choking..... Bynum looks like a legit safety....
JJ was spectacular but also a really strong defensive performance considering -4 good starters.