Minnesota Vikings

Vikings in full-blown crisis mode after brutal loss

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Minnesota Vikings have lost three consecutive games, and after the most recent one, there might be no coming back.

All losses are not equal in the National Football League. Losing at home hurts far worse than doing so away from familiar confines. Even worse, a home defeat against a divisional rival. The Vikings experienced the absolute pits on Sunday, blowing a 16-13 lead in the final seconds.

The loss was incredibly painful and damaging on multiple levels. Minnesota trailed 13-9 on a third down from the Lions’ 1-yard line with 23 seconds remaining. On a miniature jet sweep, the Vikings scored with Rhett Ellison breaking the plane right before fumbling. After Blair Walsh tacked on the extra point (he missed one in the first half), Minnesota held a 16-13 advantage.

Somehow, the Vikings lost. Matthew Stafford hit on two passes that covered 35 yards, and Matt Prater hit a 58-yard field goal as time expired. In overtime, the Lions got the ball and went in for the winning score, leaving a shocked crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Every loss hurts, but this one has the potential to kill.

Minnesota is 5-3 and still leading the NFC North, but the masses are coming. The Vikings are only a half-game better than Detroit and will see the Lions again in Motown. The Green Bay Packers are struggling big-time, but still lurk in the shadows.

Furthermore, the issues within the ranks are more alarming. The Vikings came into the week with a 31st-ranked offense and didn’t do much against Detroit, gaining 78 rushing yards on 3.1 yards per rush. Sam Bradford continued to throw more than he should, attempting 40 passes while being sacked twice.

In short, Minnesota is a boulder rolling downhill toward a cliff. The Vikings watched their offensive coordinator quit this week, with Norv Turner stepping away. After this loss, they sit 5-3 and on the road to oblivion.

The schedule is also daunting moving forward. The Vikings have to play the Redskins and Lions on the road while hosting the Cardinals and Cowboys over the next month. There is also a Week 16 battle at Lambeau Field against Green Bay, which could be for a spot in the playoffs.

The NFC is the weaker of the two conferences, giving Minnesota some cushion to figure things out. Still, the wild card race is heating up behind the Vikings, who are inching closer toward losing their once iron-clad grip on the North.

It’s officially time to panic for Minnesota.

Power rankings

Top 10 QBs pre-Super Bowl era

1. Sammy Baugh, Washington Redskins
2. Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts
3. Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns
4. Sid Luckman, Chicago Bears
5. Norm Van Brocklin, Los Angeles Rams
6. Bobby Layne, Detroit Lions
7. Y.A. Tittle, New York Giants
8. Frankie Albert, San Francisco 49ers
9. Bob Waterfield, Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams
10. Charlie Conerly, New York Giants

Quotable

“No. I’m the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. So, not looking at anything else. I’m here.”

– 49ers head coach Chip Kelly, on whether he could return to college and coach Oregon in 2017.

Kelly has been a total flop in San Francisco, and that roster is going to take years to rebuild. The 49ers are 1-7 after being beat at home by the Saints. While there is the carrot of a potential franchise quarterback in the draft, Kelly could simply go back to Oregon and makes millions while winning 10+ games per season.

Kelly might mean his words, but he should reconsider if Eugene comes calling.

Random stat

After falling to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns are now 0-9 the season. Cleveland has lost 19 of its last 20 games. The last time a team lost 19 of 20 was back in 2007-09, when the Lions dropped 25 of 26.

The longest losing streak in NFL history belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost 26 straight in 1976-77.

Info learned this week

1. Carson Wentz being figured out

Want to beat Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles? Force Wentz to go over the top and choke off the safety valves. The New York Giants did that early to Wentz on Sunday at MetLife Stadium and held on for a key 28-23 win.

Wentz ended up throwing two costly interceptions in the first quarter, while Eli Manning tossed four touchdowns on the day. The rookie finished with 364 yards on 7.7. yards per attempt, but it wasn’t enough. New York is now 5-3 and in second place of the NFC East, while Philadelphia is 4-4 after starting the year with three straight wins.

2. Chiefs survive in ugly win

There are two ways to look at what transpired on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

First: Kansas City deserves a ton of credit for winning a game in which it missed Alex Smith, Spencer Ware, Jeremy Maclin, Travis Kelce, Justin Houston and Jamaal Charles for most or all of the day.

Second: The Chiefs allowed more than 440 yards to the Jacksonville Jaguars, including 205 on the ground. Kansas City then needed four turnovers including a borderline touchback call against a 2-5 team at home.

Either way, the Chiefs are 6-2 and rolling. This coming week at Carolina, Kansas City could have all of the above back sans Charles, who is on Injured Reserve.

3. Steelers in freefall, Ravens make move

Even when the Ravens aren’t a great team, they always find a way to give the Steelers a tough time. This was true again on Sunday, when Baltimore waxed Pittsburgh in a 21-14 decision that sounds much closer than the actual game.

With both teams coming off a bye week, the Steelers had the added boost of getting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back from a torn meniscus. Instead of a triumphant return, Big Ben struggled mightily, only hitting on passes in garbage time.

The Steelers are now 4-4 and in second place, behind the Ravens who while 4-4, own the tiebreaker. Pittsburgh once was considered the main challenger of New England in the AFC, but that no longer appears to be the case.

4. AFC South remains wide open

After the Colts pulled off the stunning upset in Lambeau Field over the Packers, Chuck Pagano’s team suddenly moved to within a game of the AFC South-leading Texans. Houston was idle this week, with a neutral site game in Mexico City against the Raiders coming up next Monday night.

Indianapolis is the top competition for Houston, with the two still having a meeting at Lucas Oil Stadium to be played. The Titans had a chance to pull within a half-game, but got beaten by the Chargers on the road. The only team out of the running is Jacksonville, which lost in Kansas City to fall to 2-6.

5. Seahawks, Bills face must-win on MNF

Seattle and Buffalo both need to earn a win on Monday night, yet for totally different reasons. The Seahawks are 4-2-1 and leading the NFC West by a game and a half. Yet Seattle desperately needs home-field advantage to be a true Super Bowl contender, and with the Cowboys at 7-1 and pulling away, a loss would be crushing.

On the other side, the Bills are 4-4 and beginning to reel. A loss would drop them to third in the AFC East behind the Patriots and Dolphins. At 4-5, Buffalo would be staring at an almost impossible situation in the wild card, with the AFC West prepping to send three teams.

History lesson

In both 1981 and 1988, the Cincinnati Bengals had home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs and reached the Super Bowl. Both times, they lost to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers.

Parting shot

On Sunday Night Football, the Oakland Raiders let everybody know that the Silver and Black is back. At 7-2, Oakland now leads the AFC West by a half-game over the Chiefs, and a full game over the Denver Broncos. Many thought Denver would go into the Black Hole and lay it on the Raiders, only to be handled thoroughly in front of a national audience.

With Oakland winning 30-20, we learned a few things. The West is certainly the best division in football, with three of the teams arguably in the top-five leaguewide. Lastly, the Broncos are in real trouble in terms of winning the West, already having a pair of losses within the division.

This is going to be a phenomenal race down the stretch.