INGLEWOOD, CALIF. – Not five days ago, Kevin O’Connell was in charge of an undefeated team that had a chance to take a two-game lead over the rest of the NFL’s toughest division.
On Thursday night, he spoke with a subdued voice about a team that suddenly had two losses, concerns about the health of its left tackle and a set of issues to solve.
“We’ve just got to find a way as a team, across the board, to play better,” he said. “We’re not going to make any kind of excuses about the short week or anything like that. We’ll get back to work. We need to improve. We need to get back to some of the things that helped us get to this point, 5-2, and we will do that. I have a lot of trust and confidence in my coaching staff, and a ton of confidence we’ve got the right guys in that locker room.”
The solemn turn came in the building O’Connell last left as a Super Bowl champion about to become a NFL head coach. His return, a 30-20 Vikings loss to the Rams, was a harsh reminder of how quickly the NFL can change.
For the season’s first month, the Vikings had seemed a step ahead, throttling young quarterbacks with pressures they couldn’t decipher and finishing drives with impressive red-zone precision. They outscored opponents by 57 points in their first four games, before taking a 17-0 lead in London and surviving the Jets’ second-half comeback for a six-point win.
But on Sunday the Lions produced six plays of 20 yards or more, including 45- and 35-yard touchdowns, while handing the Vikings their first defeat of the season. The Rams mimicked much of Detroit’s approach on Thursday, speeding their offensive tempo to limit the Vikings’ ability to make defensive checks and buying time for Matthew Stafford to challenge their secondary. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Vikings pressured Stafford just four times, while finishing without a sack for the first time this season.
“It’s a copycat league,” cornerback Shaq Griffin said. “One team uses it and it works. I don’t see why another team won’t do the same thing. A lot of the things we’ve seen the past two games, we’re probably going to see the rest of the year until we stop it.”
Their defensive staff will search for adjustments before next Sunday’s home game against the Colts. Their offense could be preparing to play without left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who went down grabbing his left knee at the end of the first half. Darrisaw did not need to be carted off the field, but did not re-emerge from the locker room after halftime. O’Connell said Darrisaw will be evaluated further on Friday. “We’ll try to confirm what [the injury] is, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we get some positive news,” he said.