There is a case to be made that the Minnesota Vikings should be sitting atop the NFC playoff race with a 9-2 record and eyeing a first-round bye. Instead, they were sitting at 6-5 following a disappointing 21-20 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night, placing them in the seventh and final seed in the conference’s postseason picture.
So what’s holding the Vikings back from being considered a Super Bowl contender?
Simple. Turnovers.
Sunday’s deflating defeat was the latest reminder that the Vikings’ toughest opponent this season has been themselves. The Broncos’ flawed but opportunistic defense entered the game having forced nine turnovers in the past two games and the Vikings were kind enough guests to add three more to that list.
Denver turned the hat trick of miscues into nine points as the Vikings’ defense did its job in limiting the damage, but it was still enough that a 15-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Courtland Sutton with 1 minute, 3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Broncos the comeback victory.
“We’ve learned this lesson before,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “Playing good football teams you can’t give them three extra opportunities. We’ll have to continue to stress the importance of ball security and that’s what we’re going to do.”
The turnover that hurt the most gave the Broncos the worst field position of the three. The Vikings led 17-9 in the third quarter and were at the Broncos’ 34-yard line. Minnesota appeared to be in position to deliver a knockout punch to a Denver team that entered on a three-game winning streak.
Running back Alexander Mattison took a handoff from quarterback Joshua Dobbs and coughed up the ball. Broncos linebacker Josey Jewell recovered and Denver proceeded to drive 47 yards in nine plays before Will Lutz’s 37-yard field goal cut the Vikings lead to five.
Dobbs threw an interception after being hit on the Vikings’ next drive and Denver took possession at the Minnesota 9-yard line. The Vikings defense again kept the Broncos out of the end zone but Lutz made another field goal to make it 17-15.
This is how games are lost, especially on the road, and, unfortunately for the Vikings, it was nothing new.
The Vikings started the season 1-4 and in those defeats they turned over the ball 10 times. So how much different could things be if ball security wasn’t a major issue?
Being as fair as possible, let’s say the Vikings still lose in Week 1 to Tampa Bay and Week 5 to Kansas City. Minnesota had three turnovers in a 20-17 loss to the Buccaneers, but Tampa Bay only turned those into three points. The Chiefs scored a touchdown on the Vikings’ lone turnover in a 27-20 loss.
You could make a case that those miscues cost the Vikings those game because of how close the scores were, but I’m willing to count those as losses regardless of what might have been.
But the Vikings’ 34-28 loss at Philadelphia in Week 2, 28-24 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 and Sunday’s defeat all would have been victories, if not for the butterfingers tendencies of this group.
Here’s the proof — or at least the attempt to show proof.
The Eagles scored 10 points off four turnovers and the Chargers scored seven points off two turnovers. Throw in the Broncos’ game and it’s safe to say the Vikings would be in an excellent position to claim a second consecutive NFC North title, if only they could hang onto the ball.
During the Vikings’ winning streak they turned over the ball five times, but never more than twice in a game and they were turnover-free in last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints.
That was a step in the right direction. On Sunday, the Vikings took an all too familiar step back and that is why they find themselves at the bottom of the NFC playoff race instead of the top.
