Cris Carter Rips Vikings Right after London Victory
The Minnesota Vikings nudged their record to 3-2 in Week 5 over the Cleveland Browns in London, and according to Cris Carter, the outcome would have been more just if the team had lost.
The timing was strange, but Vikings Hall of Famer Cris Carter used Sunday to chide the team, claiming it should not have won over the Cleveland Browns.
Carter fired off a strange tweet after Minnesota’s win, claiming the club didn’t deserve to win while questioning Kevin O’Connell’s overall ability as the head coach.
Cris Carter Paints Vikings, Head Coach in Unflattering Light
The Vikings legend is sick of the close games.
Vikings Didn’t “Deserve” to Beat Browns, Says Cris Carter
As Vikings fans were celebrating the win over Cleveland, breathing a sigh of relief to enter the bye with a winning record, Carter fired off a bizarre tweet, chastising the team’s skipper and bluntly saying Minnesota didn’t deserve a win across the pond.
“Since KOC has been the Vikings coach, no pun intended, they play like the cardiac kids. Didn’t deserve to win today,” Carter tweeted out of nowhere.
The post caught folks off guard because Carter is about as stellar a human being as they come, and most didn’t think the win occurred due to a fluke. Former Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer replied to Carter: “A win is a win, I don’t care if they didn’t deserve to win, they WON!”
Generally speaking, Carter’s assertion felt weird because it rocked the boat, and Carter is not renowned for rocking the boat or blasting his team after shorthanded wins.
Questioning the Coach’s Wins via Close Games
Since O’Connell took over the Vikings, his team has participated in 38 games (68% of all KOC games) decided by eight points or fewer — the most in the NFL. Carter has a point that O’Connell furnishes “too many” close wins.
On the other hand, Minnesota has the NFL’s second-best win percentage since 2022 in games decided by eight points or fewer. His club is 28-10 (.737) in such games, only trailing the Philadelphia Eagles at 27-7 (.794).
Minnesota has played four more close games than Philadelphia, and that’s evidently four games too many for Carter. The Kansas City Chiefs, often considered the gold standard in the NFL, have also played 34 games determined by eight or fewer points since 2022, with a record of 24-10 (.706).
So, yes, the Vikings have played four more close games than the Chiefs — and won them all.
Vikings Down 7 Starters on Offense & Defense in London
The weird part? Minnesota entered Week 5 missing seven starters on offense and defense: Brian O’Neill (RT), Ryan Kelly (C), Donovan Jackson (LG), Aaron Jones (RB), J.J. McCarthy (QB), Andrew Van Ginkel (OLB), and Blake Cashman (ILB).
Virtually nobody expected Minnesota to stomp Cleveland, with the prevailing sentiment being that the purple team would have to “find a way to win,” regardless of the score.
Carter, apparently, wanted a blowout. It is not easy to crush an NFL team when seven starters are out of the lineup.
It’s why the Vegas point spread checked in at 3.5 points in favor of the Vikings and not 13.5 points. In the end, O’Connell’s team precisely fulfilled oddsmakers’ projection, much to Carter’s chagrin.
Now What?
O’Connell and Co. now embark on a much-needed bye week to heal from injuries and prepare for the Eagles in Week 7 — also one of Carter’s former teams.
Carter may be disappointed by the outcome of Vikings-Eagles, because Minnesota will be an underdog, and if it does pull off a win, it likely won’t spank Philadelphia.
On the whole, decisive wins probably won’t return to O’Connell’s resume until his team is relatively healthy or at least not down seven starters. It’s also worth noting that 15 days ago, Minnesota flogged the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 48-10 without many starters, the team’s most lopsided win in 28 years — when Carter was on the team.
Carter did not applaud Minnesota for the blowout of Cincinnati in Week 3. He tweeted nothing about it.
Carson Wentz on the Win
On a more positive note, quarterback Carson Wentz, temporarily filling in for J.J. McCarthy, said about the win and his offensive line: “I’m so proud of those guys. For guys to do what they did today in a unique week over here, all week, you know, we were down coming into the game. We were down a handful of guys. Blake Brandel starting first game at center.”
“Joe Huber starting for the first time ever. Justin Skule starting at right tackle and then flipping to left tackle against arguably one of the best defensive ends in the world. Those things are not easy to do. For them to keep fighting and battling — guys make mistakes. That happens. I made mistakes. The way they kept battling and fighting, I’m so proud of those guys.”
Minnesota’s schedule becomes increasingly brutal in terms of opponent strength over the next two months, so Carter may have to wait a while if he expects decisive victories.
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