The Minnesota Vikings lost in the Wild Card round, 27-9 against the Los Angeles Rams, and head coach Kevin O’Connell wasn’t pleased. While he was competing against his former head coach Sean McVay, there were more issues at hand. One of those was the amount of sacks.
For instance, Kevin O’Connell sounded off on the historic nine-sack game. Still, a 14-3 season ended abruptly at the hands of the NFC West champions. Following the loss, the Vikings head coach explained that the team’s biggest need is an upgrade at the offensive line.
Interestingly enough, Sam Darnold was on the wrong side of history. The Vikings quarterback had a playoff feat not seen in 25 years. Darnold was sacked six times by the Rams in the first half. However, the loss reflected two of their losses this season. The two losses to the Detroit Lions and the Rams had a similar game plan.
Both teams made it a point to increase their pressure. Detroit and Los Angeles have explosive defensive fronts that made it a point to sack Darnold. The last two weeks proved that the offensive line needs an upgrade. Despite injuries, Minnesota will need to make some moves heading into the offseason.
Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell says they need a better offensive line
Before Monday’s game, there were some glaring concerns about the front line. The Vikings’ 54.3% pressure rate against the blitz looked a little worrisome. Those numbers are sure to increase after the 27-9 defeat. However, Darnold was also holding the ball for just under three seconds (2.93 to be exact). That’s the longest time of any quarterback in the league.
That’s not a winning combination, to say the least. Furthermore, the Vikings lost Christian Darrisaw to injury. The left tackle was looking to have a Pro Bowl season before being injured. He was the star player within that offensive line. Still, teams find a way to adjust and Minnesota did that after his injury.
No matter what, Monday’s loss serves as a wake-up call for what the team needs. It’s O’Connell’s second season where he has won 13+ games and has been knocked out of the opening round of the playoffs. Considering they lost Kirk Cousins and had Darnold in his first year, it could be seen as a success.
However, that’s not O’Connell’s standard, or the franchise’s. They’ll have time to gear for the NFL Draft, as well as making some splashes in free agency if they have the right amount of cap space.
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