During their 30-24 loss against the Detroit Lions, some players saw their stocks rise, while others fizzled in the heat of the moment.
This isn’t fun anymore.
The Minnesota Vikings concede the NFC North to the Detroit Lions with a 30-24 loss at home. They found another way to lose late as they lost the turnover battle four-to-one, but more importantly, they lost their firm grasp on their playoff future. At 7-8, the Vikings are on the outside looking in the NFC playoff picture as both the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks sit at 8-7.
The Vikings’ defense stayed on the field for almost 40 minutes of game time, while the offense couldn’t sustain any momentum long enough to be a consistent threat. This season is starting to get away from the Vikings, and there needs to be more self-reflection as they go into these final two weeks.
As Minnesota traverses these final two weeks, some players stepped up and had their stocks rise, while some players let their stocks fall in one of the more pivotal moments of the season.
Judd Zulgad looks at why Kevin O’Connell abandoned the run against the Lions
It was difficult to focus on all of the Minnesota Vikings’ shortcomings Sunday because the miscues by Nick Mullens were so frequent and damaging. The veteran quarterback threw four interceptions and fumbled twice, although neither resulted in a turnover, in a 30-24 loss to the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Lions’ victory, which was not secured until Mullens’ pass for Justin Jefferson was intercepted by safety Ifeatu Melifonwu at the Detroit 5-yard line with 58 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, gave Detroit its first NFC North title ever and first division title since 1993 and knocked the Vikings out of a playoff spot (at least for now) with two regular-season games remaining.
In order to get back in the postseason mix — the Vikings will play host to Green Bay next Sunday and at Detroit on Jan. 7 — Kevin O’Connell is going to have to make a few adjustments with his offense.
The Vikings’ coach and chief play-callers needs to start with his team’s ground game. In a game in which the Vikings fell behind by 10 in the first half, but rallied to take a four-point lead in the third quarter, Mullens threw 36 passes and the Vikings only attempted 11 runs for 17 yards.
That was the fifth-fewest rushing yards in a single game in franchise history, according to the StateMuse website. The lowest total came on Oct. 28, 1996, when the Vikings rushed for 11 yards on 14 carries in a 15-13 loss to Chicago at the Metrodome. The 11 attempts tied for the fourth-fewest in Vikings’ history. O’Connell also called for only 11 runs last January in a 37-10 loss at Green Bay.
Ty Chandler, the new starting running back, had 17 yards on eight attempts and a touchdown; Mullens rushed once for 1 yard; and Alexander Mattison, returning from an ankle injury, carried two for negative-1 yard. That means the Vikings averaged 1.5 yards per carry.
The Vikings’ previous low rushing total under O’Connell came in a 10-3 loss last Dec. 11 in Detroit as the Vikings had 22 yards rushing.
This is not an attempt to absolve Mullens of blame. He’s been awful and I don’t care that the box score says he threw for 411 yards and two touchdowns. Mullens has six picks in two games and is prone to making some of the worst decisions of any quarterback to set foot on an NFL field.
Mullens deserves blame, but so does O’Connell because it’s his responsibility to make sure that a team with an unreliable passer can lean on its run game. That seemed to be an offseason priority when the Vikings signed tight end Josh Oliver to a three-year, $21 million contract ($10.7 million guaranteed) last March.
Oliver was ranked second in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ run-blocking grade, in 2022 with the Baltimore Ravens. The Vikings finished last season tied for 27th in the NFL in rushing with an average of 97.7 yards per game. Mattison was signed to a two-year, $7 million deal to return and veteran Dalvin Cook was jettisoned.
Getting rid of Cook proved to be the right move. The 28-year-old joined the New York Jets and entered Sunday with 214 yards rushing on 67 carries (3.2 yards per rush) and no touchdowns in 14 games and one start. He did not carry the ball in the Jets’ victory over Washington on Sunday.
The issue is the Vikings either haven’t found the right running backs to replace Cook, or O’Connell simply isn’t willing to commit to the run on a consistent basis. Either way, this is a problem that has to be fixed, no matter who plays quarterback for the Vikings next season.
Ideally, the fix starts in the next two games.
Mattison, a third-round pick by the Vikings in 2019, had 13 starts entering Sunday but was averaging only 3.9 yards per carry and hadn’t rushed for a score on 168 attempts. He does have 27 catches for 174 yards and three touchdowns but also has had issues with key drops.
Running back Cam Akers was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in a September trade but suffered a ruptured Achilles’ in an early November win over Atlanta. Chandler, a fifth-round pick of the Vikings in 2022, has shown explosiveness when he gets the ball but his opportunities had been limited.
That changed last Sunday with Mattison sidelined as Chandler had 132 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown and established himself as the Vikings’ go-to guy. But that doesn’t mean much when the leading ball carrier only gets the ball in his hands eight times, as he did Sunday.
The Vikings entered Sunday again ranked 27th in the NFL in rushing (93.1 yards per game) and will fall further down the rankings after their porous performance against the Lions. Detroit was fifth in the NFL in run defense (90.6 yards per game), but the Vikings’ next opponent, the Packers, were 30th against the run (135.9).
This means the Vikings should be able to establish the run, and make life easier on their quarterback against their arch-rival. But for that to happen, O’Connell is going to have to trust the run — something he definitely didn’t do Sunday.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast atwww.skornorth.com.
Chandler put the capper on a nine-play, 75-yard drive that found the Vikings’ offense moving smoothly down the field. A necessary answer to the Detroit Lion’s 14-play drive that took up over half of the first quarter.
Nick Mullens brought optimism that he can efficiently run this Minnesota offense as he went four-for-six for 60 yards on the drive. While Mullens was successful, there were still those couple plays that remind you that he is still a backup. Like his questionable decision to try to hit tight end Josh Oliver in the flat that almost turned into an easy interception for rookie Brian Branch.
Despite that, the Vikings ended up finding the end zone and made a statement to this Detroit defense. They are willing and able to keep up with their offense.
Stay tuned to Vikings Wire for more live game updates.
Mattison will play on Sunday despite not being 100%
After suffering an ankle injury against the Las Vegas Raiders in week 14, Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison is on track to play on Sunday afternoon against the Detroit Lions. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Mattison is expected to play.
What was also mentioned by Pelissero is that Mattison isn’t 100% and “expect the Vikings to ride Ty Chandler.”
After Chandler’s performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s no surprise that the Vikings will be giving him a lot of touches. He has shown himself to be a really explosive back and has grown a lot this season with his vision and consistency.
As the playoffs inch closer, both teams are fighting for a spot in the dance while trying to gain much-needed momentum to bring with them past the conclusion of the regular season.Â
The Lions still have a scenario available where they can take the number-one seed in the conference and get that coveted first-round bye week. The Vikings are just fighting for a spot with an outside shot at the NFC North division title. With the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the New Orleans Saints, the Vikings hold the seventh seed and currently have a 52% chance of making the playoffs, according to NFL.com.
The Lions defense has been an up-and-down unit this season. They’re a young unit with good pieces to build their future with, such as linebacker Jack Campbell and nickel Brian Branch. They’re a unit that is stout against the run. Despite seeing the 12th most rushing attempts, they’ve allowed the eighth-fewest rushing yards.
The Minnesota offense has also been an up-and-down unit as they sort out the quarterback position down the stretch of this season. Nick Mullens came in for his first start last week and had some positive moments, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Cincinnati’s comeback bid last Saturday.
The Vikings have no choice but to keep winning if they want to hold on to their playoff spot. To do that the offense will have to follow these four keys to success against Detroit’s defense.
During the Vikings 7-7 campaign, they have dealt with a myriad of injuries and struggles throughout the year. From losing star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to starting four quarterbacks due to injuries and poor play, it’s been an excellent coaching job from both Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.
They still face an uphill battle if they want to win the NFC North. Just one Vikings loss or Lions win will give Detroit their first division title since 1993 when it was the NFC North.
During Sunday’s game against the Lions, these storylines will be pivotal to watch.
The latest episode of Purple Access discusses the Minnesota Vikings new struggles on defense and if Nick Mullens has a leash.
The Minnesota Vikings are in an interesting situation with just three games left. They are 7-7 with a chance to both in the NFC North and make the playoffs as a wild card.
What happened to the Vikings defense? They were a dominant force but were taken advantage of by the Cincinnati Bengals. How did that happen? Can it be fixed?
Nick Mullens also struggled at times as the starting quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals. He did, however, play really well and was making throws with anticipation. What kind of leash will he be on moving forward?
Lastly, Ty Chandler finally got the opportunity to start for the Vikings at running back and he took advantage of it with a big game. Why did it take so long for him to get this kind of opportunity?
During the Vikings 7-7 campaign, they have dealt with a myriad of injuries and struggles throughout the year. From losing star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to starting four quarterbacks due to injuries and poor play, it’s been an excellent coaching job from both Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.
They still face an uphill battle if they want to win the NFC North. Just one Vikings loss or Lions win will give Detroit their first division title since 1993 when it was the NFC North.
If the Vikings want to win, they will need some big-time performances from these players.
Judd Zulgad breaks down multiple Minnesota Vikings storylines, including miscues with Nick Mullens and Ty Chandler as RB1.
Nick Mullens became the fourth starting quarterback this season for the Minnesota Vikings when he took over last Saturday for an overtime loss in Cincinnati.
Despite throwing two crucial interceptions in Bengals’ territory in the opening half, coach Kevin O’Connell said he saw enough to stick with the veteran for Sunday’s game against Detroit.
But is there anything that could change that? Let’s examine that issue, and a few others, in this edition of four-and-out.
Former Tar Heel Ty Chandler’s Sunday explosion proved he should be the Minnesota Vikings’ top running back going forward.
Former UNC running back Ty Chandler’s Sunday afternoon performance nearly helped the Minnesota Vikings win a crucial, playoff-feel clash against the Cincinnati Bengals.
There was concern in Minnesota’s locker room when, during the week, it was announced typical starter Alexander Mattison would miss the Bengals game with an ankle injury. He’d been enjoying a decent season in terms of yardage, rushing for 660 yards across 13 game, but with no touchdowns.
With Mattison out against the Bengals, in stepped Chandler. Vikings fans hoped for a decent game, but what Chandler did gives him serious RB1 consideration going forward.
This was just Chandler’s fourth game with double-digit carries and 10th overall, but he already has two more touchdowns than his backfield counterpart.
With Chandler’s outburst, which nearly single-handedly gave Minnesota a key victory in its chase for a postseason berth, should he be the new RB1?
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, while not committing to a starter, said Chandler will definitely receive a significant increase in carries going forward.
“There’s no question that I thought Ty had a huge role and impact on the game the other day,” O’Connell told Heavy Sports. “Ty is absolutely a guy that is going to continue to see a featured role in our offense. What that looks like moving forward, as far as who gets the first touch of the game and all those things, we’ll continue to kind of work through based upon what we’re attempting to do scheme-wise.”
This type of production might come as a shock to NFL fans, but it’s the type of production Tar Heel Nation fell in love with during the 2021 UNC football season.
Chandler joined a long list of 1,000-yard rushers in the Carolina record books, totaling 1,092 yards as the Tar Heels ended their 6-7 campaign in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Chandler’s best game came on Nov. 6, 2021 against Wake Forest, as he ran for a season-best 213 yards and four touchdowns.
If you have a Minnesota Vikings game on TV at any future point this season, there’s a good chance you’ll see a lot of Ty Chandler.
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