The rundown: Postgame quotes on Vikings' sputtering offense, Kene Nwangwu's breakout

Plus, why Harrison Smith won't be able to play at Los Angeles in Week 10

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By Paul Hodowanic

Frustrating. Disappointing. 

If you listened to the postgame media availability on Sunday following the 34-31 loss against the Ravens, you heard those words, and many like them, uttered from Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and his players. 

It's become the new normal for the Vikings this season, and it was the case again, as they twice relinquished a 14-point lead and lost yet another one-score game to the Ravens to drop to 3-5 on the season. 

Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways that led to that result. 

Offense sputters after strong start

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak sure knows how to script an opening drive. 

Other than a punt on the Vikings' first drive of the season against the Bengals, Minnesota has scored on its first possession of every game, including five touchdowns. 

So sure enough, Minnesota looked strong coming out of the locker room on Sunday. After several runs pushed the Vikings to midfield, Kirk Cousins connected with Justin Jefferson on a third-and-7 pass for a 50-yard touchdown to take an early 7-3 lead. 

On its next possession, Minnesota scored again. A Cousins one-yard sneak capped off the 11-play, 94-yard drive. It was just the second time this season the Vikings followed up a score with another score on its next drive and the first time doing so with back-to-back touchdowns. 

But from there, the same struggles that have continually popped up all season — conservative play calling and a lack of execution — reared their head. 

In the next 35 minutes of game time, spanning five offensive drives (not counting the one-play drive to end the half), the Vikings gained just 45 total yards. The drives went like this:

Punt
Punt
Field goal 
Punt
Punt

In that span, the Vikings saw their 14-3 lead turn into a 31-24 deficit. The only positive play came on rookie Kene Nwangwu’s 98-yard kickoff return touchdown.

It took until the Vikings were trailing for the offense to wake up, a now frequent occurrence this season, scoring a touchdown on its final drive of regulation. Its final drive came in overtime after an Anthony Barr interception gave Minnesota the ball at its own 38-yard-line, only for the Vikings to punt it back to Baltimore after a quick three-and-out. 

Zimmer admitted after the game that he was disappointed in the overtime drive along with the drive following the Bynum interception. 

Cousins took the blame for the drive immediately following the Bynum interception, a three-and-out that forced the Vikings to settle for a field goal.