The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Carolina Panthers in overtime. Kirk Cousins never gave the Panthers an opportunity in the extra period. He hit K.J. Osborn for a 27-yard, walk-off touchdown. 34-28 Vikings.
The 2021 Minnesota Vikings have trended toward the dramatic. Through six games, only the Week 3 win over the Seattle Seahawks was by more than a single score. The other five games have come down to the final play. It doesn’t have to be like that. The Vikings could be 6-0. They could be 1-5. The result in each game could’ve gone either way. I suppose that it’s appropriate that they are 3-3. That record feels about right for how the Vikings have played.
The Vikings should’ve coasted to an easy win in Carolina. They didn’t cruise to an easy win because of penalties and two big miscues.
Penalties:
11 penalties, 98 yards
The offensive penalties repeatedly erased gains. It also put the offense in long-yardage and much more predictable situations. The defensive penalties gave the Panthers offense opportunities when they shouldn’t have had any.
Big Miscues:
1st quarter fumble gave the Panthers the ball on the Vikings 18-yard line
3rd quarter blocked punt was recovered and returned for a touchdown
Until the final, ridiculous, 96-yard, game-tying drive the Panthers offense had done nothing. Dropped passes, poor decisions, turnovers. Sam Darnold was walking off the field more often than he was driving his team down it. The big miscues handed the Panthers 14 points. The Vikings should’ve/could’ve had a multi-touchdown lead. Instead, the Panthers were always within reach. They had hope.
The touchdown on the blocked punt gave the Panthers a 17-12 lead with just under seven minutes to play in the third quarter. In a blink, the Panthers had the momentum. They had the momentum and the lead. It was a lead that felt more gifted than taken.
Then the game flipped. It flipped on a C.J. Ham run. With a 3rd-and-one on their own 30, Ham took a quick handoff and burst through a hole. 30 yards later, he was finally tackled. Two plays after that, Dalvin Cook scored on a 16-yard run. Next came a Panthers fumble, a Vikings touchdown, and a Vikings field goal. Over nine minutes of game time, the Panthers 17-12 lead flipped to a 28-17 Vikings lead. It was a lead that felt safe.
The game should’ve been over. So far this season, that hasn’t been the Vikings way. They haven’t done anything easy.
As with the Lions last week, the Vikings allowed a late touchdown and a two-point conversion. Last week, the Vikings needed a last-second field goal to win. This week, they needed a touchdown in overtime to win. In consecutive weeks, the Vikings gave away a nice, late lead and then fought to get that lead back.
In a way, Kirk Cousins led two game-winning drives in this game. After the Panthers game-tying score, he was 5/5 for 30 yards as he drove his team to the Panthers 29-yard line in 36 seconds. Greg Joseph missed the 47-yard kick. In overtime, Cousins was 5/6 for 50 yards. His final pass was the 27-yard touchdown strike to Osborn for the win.
Osborn has been a revelation this season. The Vikings needed a third receiver to compliment Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. Osborn has grabbed the role. Every game, he’s made clutch catches. He’s converted third downs, fourth downs, and now he has a game-winner.
From early in the second quarter to half-way through the third quarter, the Vikings had five quick, pathetic possessions. 3 plays, 3 plays, 5 plays, 4 plays, 4 plays. They gained 34 yards on those 19 plays. An offense as explosive as the Vikings can not have so many worthless possessions.
Despite those empty possessions, the Vikings offense racked up 571 yards of total offense. I was shocked when I saw that number. How could they reach that total with so many empty possessions? Apparently, the Vikings can really move the ball against a very good defense when they aren’t shooting themselves in the foot.
The yardage total was the third most in franchise history.
622 vs Baltimore Colts (9/29/69)
605 vs New Orleans Saints (10/17/04)
571 vs Carolina Panthers (10/17/21)
October 17 can be a productive day for the Vikings offense.
How was this game even close? The Vikings moved the ball. The Panthers couldn’t. If the Vikings can figure out how to close out games, they might be pretty good.
After their Week 7 bye, the Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys on Halloween night.
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