The Heroes and Villains from Vikings Loss to Ravens
The Minnesota Vikings just can’t win two games in a row this season, dropping a winnable contest at home to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. These are the winners and losers from the event, with go-time hitting for the club’s would-be playoff hopes.
The Vikings lost by eight in Week 10 to the Baltimore Ravens, with some winners and losers emerging along the way. The club’s record fell to 4-5.
Minnesota has six days to refocus, as the hot Chicago Bears come to town in Week 11.
Winners and Losers from Vikings-Ravens
The men who pulled down “hero” and “villain” labels.
Villain: Brian O’Neill
O’Neill accounted for three false starts — by himself. He also missed some crucial blocks, putting a very non-O’Neill performance on tape, perhaps the worst game of his career.
In total, Minnesota tabulated eight false start penalties, which is mind-boggling. O’Neill was guilty of about 40%.
O’Neill deserves the benefit of the doubt, and this should be considered a bad outlier, but fans will watch him intently next Sunday against the Chicago Bears. With a 22-year-old quarterback under center, O’Neill must bounce back.
Hero: Jalen Nailor
Looking for a silver lining from Sunday’s loss to Baltimore? Start with Nailor.
The third-year receiver quietly became Minnesota’s top weapon, leading the team with 124 receiving yards on five catches — plus a fourth-quarter touchdown from J.J. McCarthy that gave the Vikings a pulse late. McCarthy went his way six times, and Nailor answered on five of them.
Before Sunday, Nailor’s best day came back in his rookie season — 89 yards in a blowout loss at Green Bay. This outing easily topped that, marking a true breakout for a player who’s been waiting for his turn in the spotlight.
Villain: Justin Jefferson
Something was “off” Sunday about Jefferson.
He was either under the weather, had his worst game as a pro (which he was probably and fairly overdue to eventually encounter), or was disengaged for unknown reasons.
For the first time since he entered the NFL, Jefferson felt like a reason why the Vikings lost — basically unheard of in Vikings football in the last six seasons.
The good news? Superstars like Jefferson usually bounce back with a vengeance.
Hero: Aaron Jones
Jones scored on the game’s first drive, and it was as if the Vikings said, “Thanks, Aaron! Take care.”
The man started the game with a roar, and when the game concluded, he notched 9 carries for 47 yards. He should’ve received 29 carries at his 5.2 yards per rush pace. For his efforts, Jones was a hero, and at some point, maybe the Vikings will realize that a team is allowed to rush the football throughout a game, not just the first drive. Jones started the game on a heater, only to find himself deprioritized.
Villain: Kevin O’Connell
Speaking of the rushing offense, O’Connell committed his cardinal sin while losing to the Ravens. In a game when the ground attack was trending to work — 6.7 yards per carry — O’Connell asked McCarthy to rear back and throw 42 times.
That cannot happen in a close game, with an inexperienced quarterback at the helm.
O’Connell should’ve committed to the opposite approach. The Vikings needed to tap Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason on the shoulders 42 times, and then ask McCarthy to throw 17 times.
The head coach did no such thing, and he must do some soul-searching regarding his rushing offense. The Vikings will never go anywhere — anywhere at all — if they cannot run the ball with balanced playcalling, especially in a relatively close game.
It’s so rough for O’Connell right now that folks like SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad have called for O’Connell to relinquish playcalling.
Zulgad wrote after the loss, “Kevin O’Connell has called plays for the Vikings’ offense for 62 games since taking over as head coach in 2022. He has had plenty of success in that time, primarily with Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold at quarterback.”
“Both were veterans who had an understanding of what O’Connell wanted and how to execute it. O’Connell, however, seems unwilling to adjust his play calling to what would best suit J.J. McCarthy. O’Connell would disagree with that opinion, and feel even stronger about this one: O’Connell should turn over play calling to an assistant.”
O’Connell is unlikely to hand over the playbook, generally speaking. It’s his bread and butter.
Zulgad added, “The most likely candidate would be offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, but the smarter move would be to have quarterbacks coach Josh McCown assume the duties. Why McCown and not Phillips? Both are short on play-calling experience, but McCown has worked as closely with McCarthy as anyone on the Vikings’ staff. McCown also spent 16 seasons as an NFL quarterback, playing in 102 games and making 76 starts.”
“He served as a mentor for various quarterbacks late in his playing career, including Darnold. Play calling is almost certainly in McCown’s future, and giving him the assignment now would make a lot of sense.”
Minnesota is an early 2.5-point favorite on Sunday against the Bears.
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