THE ESCAPE ARTISTS

VIKINGS 34

PANTHERS 28

OT

The Vikings do not play next week, as they will be on their bye. This is a good thing, because we all need a break. Players, coaches, fans, all of us need a breather after a camp and preseason full of drama and angst and 6 weeks of games that have largely been stress-inducing madness.

Last week the Vikings seemed to have a game well in control...until they were suddenly trailing and needed a 54 yard field goal at the gun to  escape with a win.

Today the Vikings seemed to have a game well in control...until they were suddenly in overtime and needed a touchdown to escape with a win.

I think the fact that today's game wound up in that spot was even more inexplicable, because overall they had played a much better game than last week.

Right off the bat the defense was playing its ass off. The very first play of the day we pressured Sam Darnold into a bad throw, which was picked off by Breeland. They only got a field goal on the short field, but hey, free points.

The first big play against us came when Jefferson fumbled at the start of the next series. Carolina DID cash in on the short field, but that was really it for Panthers offense until late in the game.

We drove for another field goal. It could have been more but Oli Udoh tripped Kirk on a play where it looked like he had a wide open Thielen in the endzone.

Then the next drive we did get one in the endzone. Kirk tossed one to Chris Herndon for the score.

Then in one of those quirky things there was a penalty on Carolina that prompted Zimmer to try for the 2. Cook looked to have it until a great tackle tripped him up short. Either way though that penalty wound up helping Carolina cause those missing points loomed large later.

That was mostly it for the first half. The Vikings did get the ball at the end of the half, and did at least make an effort to do something but a Bradbury holding penalty nuked that idea.

Second half began quite badly. We go 3 and out (Including one of Udoh's penalties), then get the fucking punt blocked and returned for a touchdown.

But just as a Panther penalty helped them, this punt block seemed to help us. It seemed to wake this offense up. They immediately responded with a 79 yard TD drive. CJ Ham of all people broke a long run, then Kirk hit Conklin for a big gainer, then Dalvin scampered for a touchdown. We missed the 2 again, but had the lead back. On the very next Carolina play, Xavier Woods stripped the receiver (only of the ball), Kendricks hopped on it and we had the ball back. 

We went after them. Kirk hit a big pass to Thiellen, then found AT again in the endzone on a great catch. Boom. 25-17 just like that. Two touchdowns in like 4.minutes after the blocked punt.

The defense kept at it. They were really dominating, cause the front four was getting major pressure, so everyone else could cover, and without Christian McCaffrey the Panthers ground game wasn't much of a threat. Until late in the 4th Carolina had as many 2nd half 1st downs by way of phantom penalties on us as they did on their own. 

We tacked on a field goal. We got a strip sack. I mean, the game looked every bit like a sure win.

But here's where it got wonky. Just like last week it began after.a turnover, and with a missed field goal. After the strip sack the offense did nothing. Zimmer opted to have Joseph kick a 50 yard field goal. I questioned it in real time, cause it's a tough kick on grass and upping the lead from 11 to 14 doesn't seem worth the risk. Well, Joseph missed it quite badly. We inexplicably let Darnold run wild for 30 yards. They got inside the 10 but we did hold them to a field goal.

Things seemed in hand again when on the next series Kirk tossed one to Conklin, who rumbled for about 40 yards into Panther territory. But the offense immediately stalled out, and had to punt (rather than risk another very long field goal).

This was getting annoying, but when Jordan Berry and Dan Chisena teamed up to pin the Panthers at the 4 it seemed that was the last dagger. This defense had been great almost all day, and now it would take a 96 yard drive to tie the game. No way...especially when 3 incompletions put them on 4th and 10.

But somehow on 4th down Darnold lofted a ball deep down the middle...and it was caught over Woods for 40 yards. The rest of the drive played out as if inevitable. We got them in 4th down again, but again Darnold beat us deep inside the 10. Then we give up a wide open touchdown. Then we give up the 2. Just like that a great defensive performance goes up in smoke.

At least we had some time left. Kirk did his clutch thing and in 42.seconds drove 46 yards to set up Joseph from 47 yards. But Joseph missed...barely, but a miss all the same and we were off to overtime.

Maybe the biggest play of the game by now wasn't even a play, but the coin toss. We won the toss (tails never fails), and Kirk went to work again. He hit a few passes. Got a few runs (Dalvin nearly broke a game ender). It probably helped that they needed a touchdown to win, so there was more urgency. 

From the 27 Kirk rolled out and fired an absolute dime to KJ Osborn, who caught it just in front of the goal line, stretched the ball over the pylon and won the game! 

It was exciting to win in this fashion. It's great to see Kirk get to deliver in such a big way.

It's also inexplicable that it came to this.

We put up 34 points (over 500 yards) on the road against a good defense. Kirk threw for 373 and 3. Dalvin ran for 140. Thielen caught 11 for 126. Kirk was never sacked. We got 4 sacks. We won the turnover battle 3-1 (the punt block technically didn't count as one). Darnold was 17/41. We only gave up 118 on the ground, and more than a third of that was on Darnold scrambles. We won the time of possession by 11 minutes. Carolina only converted 2 3rd downs all day. 

How the everlasting FUCK did this thing wind up in OT? 

Penalties made a difference. We had 11, and several killed drives. Kirk did miss one deep ball to JJ early that would have been a sure touchdown.

But this was 28-17, and we had the ball, well past the halfway mark of the 4th quarter.

I don't even think it was an issue of Zimmer being too conservative. The offense was much more aggressive today in going downfield and going for touchdowns...except for a few key points where they weren't.

It didn't appear that on the tying drive Zimmer went into any sort of prevent. Yet the game got tied up anyway.

I don't get it. But we got the win, and go into the bye technically holding a wild card spot (yes, I know that means nothing with 2/3 of the season left).

Everything can kind of calm down now for a while. The last couple months have just been full of drama and chaos and stress.

This is a messy team. They likely will be for the duration. But this is also a very talented team that plays hard and has not yet shown its best. I truly believe the best version of the 2021 Minnesota Vikings is in its future. The schedule after the bye is not easy, but the Vikings have no time.for easy anyway. Bring it on.