Let me know if this sounds familiar: The Minnesota Vikings lost in a heartbreaking fashion to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. The Vikings got off to an early 13-0 start, but it quickly faded after halftime. They fought their way back and held the lead late in the game. But Zimmer opted to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal deep in Seattle territory. They failed to convert and Russell Wilson did what he does: Drove the Seahawks down the field and sealed the victory.
Here are four things we can learn from this soul-crushing defeat:
Take the points
Analytics are the latest craze in the NFL, and it usually causes many teams to make bold decisions like going for it on fourth down. Many times it doesn’t work, and teams are leaving points on the board much more often than they used to in prior seasons. The Vikings fell victim to the analytics bug tonight. It showed them that they should go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal, putting them up by eight points and forcing Seattle to not only drive the length of the field. but convert a two-point conversion.
In the end, they turned the ball over on downs.
What the analytics don’t tell you is that you is that they are facing a quarterback in Russell Wilson who was made to succeed in these kinds of moments. Why would you give him a chance to win the game, doing something he’s done many times in his career, instead of ensuring the best he can do is tie it and force overtime? Zimmer gambled and lost, and that happens. Maybe if he’s in this situation again in the future, he’ll play it safe and take the points.
Its Ezra Cleveland Time
Dru Samia has started at right guard for four straight games, and the Vikings and their fans have seen enough by now. The guy is a revolving door, and he is a major liability in the run game and in pass protection. He was absolutely manhandled all game long by Jarran Reed, and was often pushed right back into Kirk Cousins‘ lap. He also accounted for three drive-killing penalties to the point where it was almost embarrassing to hear his number called again. It’s one thing if this performance was a rare occurrence, but it’s been something we’ve seen every single week. It’s a complete mystery why the team keeps rolling him out there every game, and it is beyond time for a change.
Give second-round pick Ezra Cleveland a shot! Cleveland was drafted to be their left tackle of the future, but they tried him at guard this preseason. No matter how badly he’s struggled with the transition, he can’t possibly be any worse than what we’ve seen so far from Samia. Maybe getting some live reps would be the way to go. Right now the only fire that’s being lit near the Vikings’ right guard is an opposing defensive lineman burning by Samia.
Dalvin Cook is the Heart of this Team
Dalvin Cook was having a great game before he tweaked his groin. He had 65 yards on the ground with a score, and he was having his best game as a receiver with three catches for 42 yards. Early in the third quarter he had a tweak in his leg after catching a pass and limped out of bounds. His absence had an impact on the entire team.
The Seahawks were able to quickly march down the field and score. Seattle suddenly scored 14 more points following a series of Cousins’ mistakes, making it 21 in under two minutes. It was as if the entire soul of the Vikings’ revolved around Cook, and it took them a few series to realize they can still win without him. While they still couldn’t seal the victory, Minnesota went go toe to toe with one of the best in the NFL without Cook. While this loss stings, maybe some silver lining is that the team now knows if Cook goes out, they are in good hands with Alexander Mattison.
The Vikings are improving
While the Vikings are 1-4 and unlikely to play in January, they are getting better. They were downright awful the first two games of the season and are looking much improved and complete these last three weeks. The defense really took some steps forward tonight, especially in the first half. They were able to generate pressure and sacked Wilson four times. Ifeadi Odenigbo and James Lynch were able to get their first sacks of the season. The defensive line had their best game by far and made Wilson very uncomfortable in the pocket for the majority of the game.
The young corners did very well against some of the best receivers in the game. Jeff Gladney held Tyler Lockett to 44 yards, and while the last series wasn’t great, Cameron Dantzler and Mike Hughes were able to contain Metcalf for the majority of the game. Offensively, the Vikings were able to move the ball on just about every series and had some very long scoring drives that took a lot of time off the clock. They utilized weapons like Irv Smith Jr. and were able to keep the ground game going when Cook went out with an injury. While they still don’t know how to finish games, they are getting better every week. The concern is by the time they truly figure it out, the season will already be lost.
