EVERGREEN PROBLEMS

RAVENS 27

VIKINGS 19

Winning in Detroit last week showed that this Vikings team is capable of winning any game anywhere, and that despite a rocky opening 2 months, the season could still be something.

That good feeling lasted exactly one week, as on Sunday back at the purple palace, the Vikings reverted right back to being the stupid, sloppy, poorly coached mess of a team that is now a full 2 games in last place in the NFC North. 

This happened for all the same reasons. Atrocious playcalling. Bone headed penalties. Defensive breakdowns. They have placed this Vikings season on the brink again.

As is so often the case, things started well before going downhill. The Vikings opening drive featured probably the best throw so far in JJ McCarthy's career, a deep shot to Jalen Nailor that after YAC was 62 yards. Aaron Jones had a walk-in TD run right after for a 7-0 lead. 

The Vikings led 10-3 in the middle of the 2nd quarter, and with both efficient offense and a defense that was flying to the ball and containing Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, were in control of the game. 

They were also on the move again offensively, nearing midfield. On 3rd and 6, McCarthy dropped back, then stepped up into a wide open lane where he could have easily run for a 1st down and then some. But he didn't. Instead, he chucked up basically an arm punt, a throw that the second it left his hand was obviously going to be intercepted, which it was. 

Momentum gone in one stupid mistake that, I'm sorry, is not excused by youth.

Baltimore drove to a field goal. Frankly, I thought John Harbaugh was pretty conservative to take the 3 given how easily the Ravens had moved down the field. But then we screwed up a 2 minute drill and left enough time for the Ravens to go get another 3 before halftime.

Things did not improve after halftime.

The Vikings faced a 3rd and 1 at midfield to start to the 3rd quarter. Okay, simple enough. But when you're KOC, self-proclaimed genius, simple can't cut it. So here came another JJ deep ball for no reason, and again, it was intercepted. The Ravens drove to another field goal, and grabbed their first lead of the day, which they would never give up. 

Bad went to worse on the ensuing kickoff, when Myles Price fumbled the ball right back to Baltimore. This time, the Ravens cashed in with the touchdown.

The game had completely gotten away from the Vikings. And we weren't done. Once again, in a short yardage spot close to midfield, the genius called two passes on 3rd and 4th down. Both were incomplete. Turnover on downs. 

The Vikings had brief life again when the Ravens missed a long field goal, and the Vikings started driving towards another score. But, after ditching the run again for 3 straight incompletions, they only got a field goal. 

By this point, the ineptitude of the offense and its inability to stay on the field had taken its toll, and the worn down defense let the Ravens basically just jam the run down their throats on an 11 play drive that ended in a TD that pretty much put the game out of reach.

McCarthy did hit Nailor for a late TD and the Vikings did get one last desperation drive, but that didn't even cross the 50. There was never a moment where I felt like the Vikings were actually going to make a comeback here.

As with other losses this year, the Vikings opponent did nothing special. Naturally, we had to play a fully healthy Ravens team, but nobody over there did anything special. The 2 picks and the fumble were gifted. Jackson and Henry had pedestrian games.

This was just the Vikings being idiots. 

KOC's playcalling is just insanity. Once again, despite the game being close into the 4th quarter, we did not run the ball. I feel like it is the exact same story every week. We maybe have a few token runs, but then, regardless of how well that goes, KOC just reverts back to pass pass pass. It's like the idea of ever running the ball in short yardage spots never crosses his mind. Aaron Jones had a few good runs today, but then even if those occur, he doesn't get a chance at more. 

But of course, when we do then pass its all these low percentage deep shots or dumpoffs. There is no attempt to have a mid-range passing game at all. Every other team in the league runs slants and short routes. We have none of that. You can't run an offense if you need a 30-yard deep shot on every drive. 

You got 4/5 of your OL. You have both your backs healthy, plus CJ Ham to block. KOC just will not run the ball.

This doesn't help McCarthy, either. This was a very disappointing follow-up for him. Some of this is on him, like the decisions to not run when you can keep the chains moving. But if KOC is hellbent on keeping him in the pocket and not taking advantage of his mobility, we cannot have JJ getting pass after pass deflected at the line, and him sailing other throws 10 feet over receivers heads.

This continues to be a very poorly coached team, and that continues to show up with penalties. Chalk up another 13 of them today, including a positively ludicrous EIGHT false starts. KOC keeps blandly talking about getting things fixed, but these things aren't getting fixed.

The Detroit win shows that this team is talented enough to win any game anywhere. But they are also dumb enough to lose any game left on the schedule. They are a maddening, endlessly frustrating collection, and their margin for error contines to shrink if this season is to be relevant into December. If they could just get out of their own way, they would be a sure playoff team. But instead, they are playing the Bears next week, and if they don't win that game, you can pretty much stick a fork in the season with 7 games to go.