Reactions from the Vikings Orbit to Heavy Loss in LA
To say Thursday Night was a stormy night for the Minnesota Vikings in Los Angeles as they endured a heavy defeat to the LA Chargers would be somewhat of an understatement.
VikingsTerritory looks at reactions from the Vikings orbit to their heavy defeat in LA.
The performance was poor across all phases of the game, and injuries continued to mount. For the second time this season, Minnesota had a disaster in front of the primetime cameras.
The Vikings Fall at SoFi Stadium
The Vikings’ head coach summed it up perfectly in his post-match press conference. His team was second-best in every department and far short of the standard expected of it.
Vikings play-by-play commentator Paul Allen tweeted his displeasure at halftime and hoped for better in the second half. Improvement did not arrive.
Allen’s radio colleague and former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber summed up the game in unpleasant fashion.
The reactions of Allen and Leber are significant, as the two men who work for the Vikings usually try to put some positive spin on the situation. However, there was no sugarcoating what happened on Thursday night.
Current linebacker Blake Cashman was damning with his comments post-game, suggesting his team needs to “nut up”.
The Vikings have been up against it this season, but there was a worrying softness to much of their play in LA. It started to look like a team giving up, and that is a dangerous path to head down. Whether or not this team can do anything this season or not, and it seems unlikely right now, what you don’t want to see is a team throwing in the towel.
Reactions of Former Players
Former Vikings All-Pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes is obviously new to gameday social media during a loss. When he asked how the game was going, he appeared very surprised by the responses he got.
Former WR Jake Reed had one word that summed up how we were all feeling.
A couple of Vikings alumni were still trying to find the positives. Former punter Greg Coleman reflected on the difficult moments in his own career and how they will pass.
Former Vikings second-team All-Pro QB Tommy Kramer has been a vocal supporter of JJ McCarthy and the decision to make sure he and the offensive line are ready and healthy.
He reiterated his point again and believes there is still a chance to make a run if the team can get the offense healthy. Unfortunately, that’s looking like a big if.
More Injuries
The injuries just keep coming. News came out that Brian O’Neill had knee soreness and wouldn’t play, and that Christian Darrisaw went through pregame drills to see if he could play.
He got the green light to play, but then only a handful of snaps before he left the game. With center Ryan Kelly on Injured Reserve due to multiple concussions and tackles that can’t stay on the field, the Vikings have big problems with their offensive line.
The injuries didn’t stop there. Josh Oliver left the game early with a foot injury, Jeff Okudah went down with a concussion, star pass rusher Jonathan Greenard suffered an ankle injury late in the game, Tai Felton was escorted to the blue medical tent, and Carson Wentz came into the game with a left shoulder injury, before leaving it looking like the victim of a brutal assault.
It wasn’t just painful viewing for Minnesota; it was painful full stop.
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