Vikings Comeback Effort Falls Short vs. Defending Champs in Week 5
The Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings met at U.S. Bank Stadium in a matchup between two teams at opposite sides of the NFL standings.
Minnesota finally got off the schneid in Week 4 against Carolina after losing three straight games to begin the year while Kansas City had won three straight after falling to Detroit in Week 1.
Ultimately, though, the Vikings would fall just short against the defending champs, losing 27-20 and falling to 1-4 on the season.
Vikings Fall Short vs. Defending Champs
Once again, the Vikings put themselves behind the 8-ball early with a lost fumble on the first play of the game. Josh Oliver caught a 15-yard pass, but on the way, he coughed up the ball, allowing Kansas City to drive down a short field en route to an Isiah Pacheco 1-yard TD.
Outside of that, though, Minnesota played very well in the first half. The defense held Patrick Mahomes in check for the most part, holding Kansas City to just two field goals over the rest of the half.
After some early game miscommunications for the offense, the Vikings also got their own offense on track, and with some help from a five-yard TD catch from Jordan Addison, Minnesota and Kansas City entered halftime tied 13-13.
However, Kansas City would begin the second half with the ball and promptly drive down the field for a TD. Patrick Mahomes hit Rashee Rice for an eight-yard score. After a three-and-out for the Vikings on their first drive, the Chiefs would again drive down the field for another TD, capped off by a four-yard catch from Travis Kelce. They quickly captured all momentum with a 27-13 lead.
Kelce left the game late in the first half with what appeared to be an ankle injury, but after X-rays came back negative, he got back into the field in the second half. He finished his day with 10 catches for 67 yards and the TD.
For the Vikings, injuries would also become a problem in the second half. As the Vikings drove down the field following Kansas City’s second touchdown, Justin jefferson came up hobbled after a play. He would later be ruled as questionable with a hamstring injury but wouldn’t return to the game as Minnesota attempted to mount a comeback.
During the drive when Jefferson left, Kirk Cousins hit Alexander Mattison for a nine-yard TD, cutting Kansas City’s lead to 27-20 in the fourth quarter. However, Minnesota was forced to burn all three of their timeouts throughout the half, so they entered the home stretch without any ability to stop the clock.
This would come back to hurt them on their penultimate drive of the game. With Minnesota facing a 4th-and-7, the play clock began dwindling as the Vikings offense tried to get lined up. They would be called for a delay of game and were unable to convert the 4th-and-12 attempt.
Then, they were unable to stop the clock as the Chiefs attempted to pound the ball and run out the remainder of the time. Minnesota would get the ball back with 1:07 left in the game on their own 19-yard-line, but when facing a Hail Mary situation, Cousins took a sack to end the game.
Minnesota now falls to 1-4, and they will travel to Soldier Field next week for a matchup with their fellow 1-4 Bears. It will be the first divisional game that the Vikings play this season. Meanwhile, the now 4-1 Kansas City Chiefs face a fast turnaround as they play against the 1-4 Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football.
NOTE: This article originally appeared on our sister-site, PurplePTSD.com.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
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