The Minnesota Vikings enjoyed the first ten weeks of this season as they cruised to an 8-1 record, only second to the complete teams of the franchise in the recent past. A change in the regime, fresh blood, and well-scheduled breaks suited the team well.
This lucky streak was suddenly cut short when they encountered the Dallas Cowboys on the field. The Vikings were embarrassed and suffered a humiliating beating at home, giving the Dallas Cowboys their largest win in history.
In this 40 – 3 game, the Cowboys exposed a rather egregious weakness; the team’s lack of depth. Known to be the King of comebacks, the Vikings featured the tiniest margin in the last century, none more extraordinary than last week’s win at Buffalo.
The Vikings’ weaknesses were exposed on the field against the Cowboys
The most evident example of this weakness was when the team’s left tackle Christian Darrisaw suffered a head injury during the first half of the game. Darrisaw had joined the team as the highest-graded lineman of the season, with an overall grade of 89.8.
This marked a huge step forward from his previous 71.9 overall last season as a rookie. Last season, Darrisaw had not allowed any sacks by giving up three hits, ten total pressures, and seven hurries after his third game with run–a blocking of 90.
This streak the Vikings suddenly changed when Darrisaw allowed Kirk Cousins, the team’s quarterback takedown. This opened up the query of whether Darrisaw should have been in the field, to begin with.
Micah Parsons and the Cowboys ICED the Vikings in Minnesota ❄️ pic.twitter.com/SJUY7QxfPp
— ESPN (@espn) November 21, 2022
Injuries during and before the game
Darrisaw was out following a concussion; however, his quick recovery was a huge relief for the Vikings, as they lacked depth along the line. Micah Parsons, the Cowboys pass rusher, beat Darrisaw to Cousin in his first sack of the match.
After his injury, the second sack came in by beating Darrisaw’s replacement, Blake Brandel. The two Minnesota Vikings backup linemen were injured, leaving the team vulnerable and lacking.
Next week’s match will have Darrisaw benched as the head coach; Kevin Connell is cautiously proceeding. As one of the more formidable players on the team, the coach wants to ensure enough recovery for Darrisaw.
The Cowboys defense shut down the Vikings offense like a bar at closing time. Review all the ways they brought their A-game.#DALvsMIN | #DallasCowboys
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 21, 2022
What the Vikings had to say after the loss
According to head coach Kevin O’Connell, Darrisaw was ruled after a consecutive concussion. He reiterated that despite the loss, the team had a good opportunity for the team to introspect.
“We expect in these tough times to be able to rely on our locker room, our players, and our coaches, and we’ll be right back here in four days with an opportunity to get this taste out of our mouth. But you’ve got to give credit to the Dallas Cowboys. They came in and dominated every phase of the football game. We’ve got to learn from this.”
O’Connell promised to return better and stronger after the loss in the famous U.S Bank Stadium.
Minnesota #Vikings loss to Dallas Cowboys does NOT matter #SKOL
🎧: https://t.co/B2BoyKeMl9 pic.twitter.com/M2GtOzVCUf
— SKOR North – Minnesota Sports (@SKORNorth) November 21, 2022
The future after such a loss
This loss resembles Oct 6, 1963, Viking’s match against St. Louis, where the Vikings lost 56-24. This match was televised and played in the U.S. Bank Stadium. The only surviving member of the team is Ed Donatell, who was six then.
“It just sucks that we lost this bad,” receiver Justin Jefferson said. “I mean, if we just lost by three, seven, 10 points, it wouldn’t be as bad. … It’s just that we lost by 37 points at home, so it isn’t very pleasant just being in that situation. We just didn’t play well in all phases, so that’s what really killed us.”
Removing the bad taste from your mouth after such a momentous loss is important. The head coach emphasized the need to move forward and not dwell in the past. He said: “That was the main message. We don’t like what happened, but we have a chance to move on faster than normal.”
Dallas Cowboys possessions against the Minnesota Vikings (so far):
– Field Goal
– Touchdown
– Field Goal
– Touchdown
– Field Goal
– Touchdown
– Touchdownsorry everyone the pattern ended
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) November 20, 2022
Fixing the gaps in the team
”Each and every week in this league is another opportunity to really prove who you are as a football team,” O’Connell said. “I don’t think we did that tonight. I don’t think we gave ourselves a chance to compete. We’ve got a lot of things on a short week to get right, and I don’t really know any other way than to go back to work.”
The NFL season can be quite unpredictable, and no team finishes a season without weathering a few storms. It is just a single loss over the team’s previous wins and comebacks. However, one question lingers: Will the Vikings plunge into the hole that lacks depth which will determine whether any future storms are on the horizon?
Cowboys are leaving Minnesota with a massive W pic.twitter.com/fFYXgSTKjN
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 21, 2022
Credits on Featured Image: Kyle Engman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
