The studs and dus from Satuday’s loss to the Bengals were rather obvious, especially the studs
The Minnesota Vikings played at the Cincinnati Bengals for the second time in the last three years and lost by the same 27-24 score after turning the ball over in overtime.
In 2021, the Vikings fumbled the ball away when driving in enemy territory. In 2023, it was failing twice in a row on the tush push. The frustration from the loss had Fire KOC trending on Twitter.
It’s fair to be frustrated, as the Vikings blew a 14-point lead they entered the fourth quarter with despite playing really well on offense.
Saturday’s edition of studs and duds highlight some impressive performances and others that cratered the chance at a victory.
The NFL is a game of inches, and the tush push was the ultimate deciding factor
The Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals played a very entertaining game that went back and forth, and the latter got the win at home, 27-24 in overtime.
The game itself was a fascinating one, and injuries highlighted the first quarter. The Bengals suffered two brutal knee injuries, including one to star nose tackle D.J. Reader on the first series. He was immediately ruled out and did not return to the game.
That injury spurned a great rushing attack from Vikings running back Ty Chandler. In the first start of his NFL career, he became the first 100-yard rusher for the team this season and the first since Week 10 of 2022.
Quarterback Nick Mullens also got his first start in a Vikings uniform on Saturday afternoon. There was plenty of good from Mullens, including two touchdown passes to Jordan Addison, but two interceptions deep in enemy territory prevented the Vikings from putting more points on the board.
On a drive late in the fourth quarter, Mullens tried throwing a screen pass to Justin Jefferson. That nearly needed in disaster as it was intercepted by Germaine Pratt and taken for a touchdown. Luckily for the Vikings, Trey Hendrickson was offside, and it led to a touchdown pass to Addison on what can only be described as a bad decision.
Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins made a massive impact on this game. He caught a touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and the tying score on an immaculate catch where he skied for the ball and reached it over the goal line as he was being driven out of bounds.
The game went into overtime, and the Vikings got a stop right away. Unfortunately, they were stopped on back-to-back tush push attempts, which led to the Bengals converting a 29-yard field goal.
There will be a lot of discussion about the failed tush push attempts by the Vikings, who had Brandon Powell trying to push Mullens instead of someone who is bigger and stronger.
Up next for the Vikings are the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve. Minnesota still has an outside chance to win the division.
In his first start, Chandler becomes the first 100 yard rusher since 2022
Running the ball has been a struggle for the Minnesota Vikings offense for much of the season. Alexander Mattison was supposed to take the torch from Dalvin Cook, but that hasn’t materialized yet this year. So much so that the Vikings felt the need to trade for former Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers.
For much of the season, those two were splitting carries, with neither running back able to find much consistent success. Now, with both Mattison and Akers out with injuries, it’s the unheralded Ty Chandler who becomes the Vikings’ first 100-yard rusher of the season.
Chandler topped the 100-yard mark late in the fourth quarter of the Vikings Saturday afternoon game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ty Chandler is at 101 yards; he's the first Vikings 100-yard rusher of the season.
Not only did Chandler become the first running back to top 100 yards on the season for Minnesota, he became the first Vikings running back to hit that mark since Cook rushed for 119 yards in the team’s Week 10 matchup against the Buffalo Bills last season.
Addison records his second multiple touchdown game of his young career
The Minnesota Vikings reclaimed the lead late in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals with a prayer answered by first-round rookie Jordan Addison.
Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens continued to press his luck to the absolute limits as he rolled out near the goal line before finally throwing up an absolute prayer to Addison. Mullens has been as up and down today as a quarterback can be going 23-of-30 for 279 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on the day.
Addison has been having his best game of the season as he has hauled in six receptions on six targets for 111 yards and two crucial touchdowns. He and second-year running back Ty Chandler, whose 30-yard run the play before set up the eventual touchdown throw, have stepped up immensely for Minnesota.
As the Vikings continue to try to salt this game away, the performances of these two young playmakers should foster a lot of confidence.
Stay tuned with Vikings Wire for more live game updates.
The Vikings started their opening drive on their eight-yard line. An immediate explosive 35-yard run, that a key edge-sealing block from Addison helped seal, from Ty Chandler got Minnesota out of the shadow of their end zone.
For Minnesota, it just continued to get better from there. Quarterback Nick Mullens was 3-for-4 for 59 yards on the drive. A drive that was needed after the final two drives of the first half ended with two brutal interceptions with the Vikings in range to put points on the board.
The Vikings’ offense is starting to get rolling and are firmly in the driver’s seat as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Stay tuned to Vikings Wire for more live game updates.
Former UNC running back Ty Chandler helped the Minnesota Vikings accomplish a 2023 first on Saturday afternoon. What exactly did he do?
When the Minnesota Vikings started their current season 1-4, they were in danger of missing the playoffs for a third straight year.
When star receiver Justin Jefferson went down with a hamstring injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, playoff hopes were dashed even further.
Minnesota has been playing its best football since Jefferson’s initial injury, going 6-2 and jumping back into the NFC playoff picture.
One of many reasons behind the Vikings’ resurgence is the play of second-year running back Ty Chandler, who played his final year of college football at UNC in 2021. Chandler ran for 1,092 yards in Chapel Hill, continuing a long string of recent success among Tar Heel backs.
On Saturday, Dec. 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Chandler helped Minnesota do something it hadn’t this season – score an opening-drive touchdown.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C07JNklR2rG/
This was Chandler’s second score in his second NFL season, with his first coming in the Vikings’ 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Nov. 12. Chandler has proven to be a difference-maker in his first NFL start, with his 1-yard plunge being Saturday’s lone, first-half touchdown.
If Chandler keeps producing like this, he could surpass Alexander Mattison on the depth chart – even when Mattison returns from an ankle injury.
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Ty Chandler caps off an impressive opening drive with a one-yard touchdown to give the Vikings the early lead
What a great start for the Minnesota Vikings offense. Ty Chandler barrels into the end zone to give the Minnesota Vikings a 7-3 lead early in their Saturday showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chandler’s one-yard touchdown run was the first touchdown on a Vikings opening drive since week five against Kansas City, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The drive from Nick Mullens and company should quell those who were concerned with the move from Josh Dobbs to Mullens. On his first drive, Mullens was 3/3 for 42 yards, getting the ball to three different receptions on each throw. His command of the offense was very apparent, checking into the correct play at the line.
Chandler was also impressive in his first start of his career, getting 30 yards on seven carries and looking explosive on each run. If this Minnesota offense can look like this with the way the Vikings defense has looked, this team could be on the way to making a statement this Saturday afternoon.
Stay tuned to Vikings Wire for more live game updates.
When r Ty Chandler transferred to UNC from Tennessee before the 2021 college football season, it didn’t take long for him to showcase why he was such a special player. Chandler ended his Volunteers career Top-5 in all-purpose yards, so there was a …
When r Ty Chandler transferred to UNC from Tennessee before the 2021 college football season, it didn’t take long for him to showcase why he was such a special player.
By the end of his lone year at UNC, Chandler joined a long list of Tar Heel running back on the 1,000-yard rushing list. The Minnesota Vikings saw something special in Chandler, taking him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Chandler now has the opportunity that every young football players dreams of – starting his first NFL game.
He’ll be doing so on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 1 p.m., as the Vikings travel to Cincinnati and take on the Bengals, in a game that has major playoff implications for both teams.
Chandler hardly played last year, but he’s showcased his RB1 upside in extended action for Minnesota this season.
His best statistical game came in the Vikings’ 21-20 loss at the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Nov. 19, totaling 110 scrimmage yards. The week before – in a 27-19 win over the New Orleans Saints, Chandler scored his first NFL touchdown.
Overall this year, Chandler has 203 rushing yards on 49 carries, a rushing touchdown and 90 receiving yards on 13 receptions.
Dalvin Cook being released in the offseason opened the door for more Chandler playing time. Chandler’s taking advantage of it so far and, on Saturday afternoon, he has a golden chance to showcase he’s Minnesota’s running back of the future.
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The Vikings will be without two starters on offense with at least one returning starter
The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in a Saturday afternoon clash on December 16th at noon CST.
Heading into the game, there were many injuries that the Vikings were concerned about, including ones to multiple offensive starters. The final injury report for the week 15 matchup has been released and it reflects better than expected.
To get back on track against the Cincinnati Bengals this Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings have to follow these four offensive keys to victory
The Minnesota Vikings are on the road again as they head to Paycor Stadium to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday at noon CST.
Minnesota’s offense has been in a rut as of late. In the last three weeks, they’ve had three of their five worst games offensively, according to expected points added. If the Vikings want a shot at the playoffs, they can’t afford to continue their current pace on that side of the ball. There won’t be many chances to win a game 3-0 in today’s NFL.
They’re going up against a Bengals team that just had one of their best games on defense as they held a solid Colts offense to less than 300 total yards.
Not to say that this isn’t still a flawed defense, it is. They are near the bottom of the league in both EPA per play and defensive success rate
After two-plus games of below-average quarterback play, Josh Dobbs has been replaced by veteran Nick Mullens now that he is off of injured reserve.
If the Vikings want to get back on track on the offensive side, here are four keys that they will have to follow.
