The Minnesota Vikings called their final timeout with 9:05 left in the game. They had used their first timeout of the second half before a third-and-seven sequence with 9:27 to go in the third quarter. Kirk Cousins then forced the ball to Justin Jefferson in double coverage on the next play, and they punted it away. On the next drive, the Vikings lost their second timeout with 8:29 left to go in the third after challenging Travis Kelce’s catch that Josh Metellus nearly picked.
“I felt wholeheartedly that that was worth a challenge there based upon the evidence,” Kevin O’Connell said after the game. “It was always going to come down to whether they deemed that initial catch as two steps and a football move.”
With 9:05 to go in the game, the Kansas City Chiefs faced a third-and-one from their 47-yard line. The Vikings had pre-snap confusion at a crucial moment in the game. But it was the third time they called a timeout due to sideline issues. It must feel daunting to be down 27-20 to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs with nine minutes to go and no timeouts. It’s possible to win but pretty unlikely.
There were other pivotal moments in Minnesota’s 27-20 loss to Kansas City. Josh Oliver fumbled on the first play. Jefferson injured his hamstring on a fourth-and-six conversion immediately before Alexander Mattison’s touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jordan Addison drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone that the referees picked up. And Harrison Smith got a pass interference penalty on a fourth-and-one in the third quarter that could have also gone on Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Chiefs scored on that drive to go up 27-13.
It’s hard to win without Jefferson. Oliver’s fumble was the eighth that Minnesota has lost this year. Who knows what happens if Kansas City turns it over on downs six minutes into the third quarter? But using three timeouts so early in the game feels more damning because it’s something the Vikings can control. No team wants to have headset issues, and it felt like Chiefs fans filled about 40% of U.S. Bank Stadium. It was noisier than usual, and that third-and-seven was a pivotal moment. Still, Minnesota practices sequences when the headset goes out, and it’s hard to burn a timeout early in the third quarter.
Metellus looked like he picked off Kelce on the next drive. It was also a borderline catch, and the officials likely didn’t overturn it because they lacked video evidence. However, it’s harder for a team to justify a risky challenge in the third quarter after they’ve already used a timeout. It becomes even more difficult to win down 27-20 with 8:55 left in the game. Facing a fourth-and-seven at the Kansas City 19-yard line, the Vikings took a delay of game penalty. They could have used a timeout there.
“I absolutely would challenge [the catch] again, given the circumstances and kind of what it was in that moment,” said O’Connell. “At the very least, if it is ruled even an incompletion, we get the ball back. And then we had a little bit of a personnel kind of late sub there defensively where we used a timeout to get the right personnel grouping on to try to get that short yardage stop.”
With 37 seconds to go on the final drive, Cousins completed a short pass to Brandon Powell to convert a fourth-and-one. There were only 22 seconds left to go after he spiked the ball to stop the clock. Cousins completed a pass to Powell on the next play, but there were only six seconds left after he clocked the ball again. With 1:07 left to play, Cousins threw five passes. All five were in-bounds. Minnesota lost precious time each time he completed a pass, and they wouldn’t have if they had their timeouts.
It’s easy to fixate on calls that could have gone either way, and Jefferson’s absence late in the game potentially affected the outcome. But that’s all out of Minnesota’s control. They have limited influence over which calls go their way. They can’t turn injuries off like people do in Madden. But they determine when and where they use their timeouts. The Vikings aren’t situational masters like they were last year. They’re 1-4 in one-score games after being 11-1 last season. Still, they believe they can turn it around.
“We have everything out in front of us,” said T.J. Hockenson. “We haven’t played an NFC North team, and if we can get a lot of those, we’re right back in the fight.”
“Coming off winning this division a year ago,” echoed O’Connell, “this team feels like, let’s go take care of business in our division.”
Vegas will favor the Vikings against the Chicago Bears next week. The Green Bay Packers are more vulnerable without Jordan Love, and the Detroit Lions are good but not unbeatable. Minnesota also plays the Denver Broncos, Chicago, and the Las Vegas Raiders and has a bye between Weeks 11 and 14. But they have to get there with a decent record first.
Furthermore, they have a Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers and travel to Lambeau after playing in Chicago. There still are 12 games left, and they play their first divisional game next week. But they’re wading into a space no team wants to be in. They’re too good to tank, but their upside feels somewhere around .500. Turning things around after a 1-4 start feels like trying to win a game down seven with nine minutes to go and no timeouts left. It’s possible but unlikely, and whether or not they make the playoffs may be out of their control.
