Episode Description
Minnesota Tim discusses the Minnesota Vikings' recent loss to the Detroit Lions, emphasizing that the score does not reflect the competitiveness of the game. He highlights the invaluable experience gained from this loss, particularly for quarterback Sam Darnold, who struggled with missed opportunities. Tim argues that this experience will better prepare the Vikings for their playoff journey. He also outlines necessary adjustments for Darnold and the team moving forward, expressing optimism about their upcoming games.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
The Minnesota Vikings got blown out by the Detroit Lions
thirty one to nine, but in reality, the score the
game the result was not indicative of just how competitive
this game was. And I want to double down on
(00:27):
something that I slightly mentioned the other day, because I
don't think we are recognizing just how valuable a loss
like that was to the Detroit Lions before the games
really matter. This was essentially a playoff game in the
(00:50):
final regular season game of the season. The stakes were
high versus the Detroit Lions because they were competing for
the number one seed in the NFC. Home field advantage
throughout the playoffs that matters.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
But I want to.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Say this again, the loss to the Detroit Lions provides
invaluable experience for the Minnesota Vikings before they start their
playoff journey.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I would rather.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Have the Minnesota Vikings choke against the Detroit Lions in
Week eighteen of the regular season and have a playoff
atmosphere like experience, then host a home playoff game, be
juiced up like that were in Week eighteen, have that adrenaline,
and then have a massive choke job in the second
(01:47):
round of the playoffs at US Bank Stadium.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So you know, Sam Darnold was awful.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
He had countless throws that he missed to Jefferson and
Addison Nailer, and I'm gonna show examples of that in
a little bit. His percentage was awful. The offensive line
was not holding up to the standards.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
That they were holding up to earlier in the season.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
The Detroit Lions were sending cover zero blitzes almost the
entire game. Sam Darnold had a season high fifteen pressures.
So there's things that needed to be corrected. But I
think we are not recognizing just how fortunate we are
(02:36):
as Minnesota Vikings fans. I don't think we realized how
fortunate the Minnesota Vikings organization was to have a playoff
like experience in a regular season game, the stakes were high,
but it's not the end of the season. Could you
imagine if the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Lions, they win
(02:59):
by a few or whatever it is, they go into
their first home playoff game at US Bank Stadium, Donald
is juiced like he was against the Lions and completely
collapses in the first round because this was not Oh,
he missed an open guy here, he missed an open
guy here, which did happen. He missed Jefferson wide open,
(03:23):
I miss Hockinson wide open. But this was more of
a case of Donald not even attempting a throw to
several wide open wide receivers down the field. The wide
receivers were open, the wide receivers were executing their routes.
(03:43):
Kevin O'Connell's play design was brilliant, but Sam Darnald would
not throw them the football. And someone who does an
amazing job of analyzing this and really breaking it down
is dan Orlawski of ESPN, and he went on Get
(04:07):
Up ESPN and highlighted several of the throws that Sam Darnold.
It's not that he missed these throws. He wasn't even
attempting the throw. And the wide receiver is running wide open.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Quarterback fourteen times, you're gonna bring him back back down
to earth.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
You mentioned some of those misses.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Sam darn hasn't missed that all season long. I thought
he missed five touchdowns like two. Look at this, so
this is he's gonna throw a post.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
This is one of those all out zero blizes.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
But look at the bottom of screen to corner he
butt naked open. He throws that corner route, which is
something I've seen him do a ton of times this year.
That's a touchdown. But he launches the post. That's a
missed opportunity down.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
In the red zone.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I want you guys to watch up top. Where's that
Addison one. That's that's a rub route versus man coverage.
For some reason, he his eyes get off it so quickly.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
And that's a throwaway.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
That's two touchdown that are easily executed if you're not
used to getting hit. There's gonna be another opportunity down in.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
The red zone.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
This is the double move versus zero pressure.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Jefferson's going to win.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Sam I DJs floats this bolt in pylon instead of
kind of firming it.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
That's a touchdown.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
So I've got two miss kind of reads and a misthrow.
Now watch the very top of the screen right now,
there's another rud rut versus man covers that safety's pin
in the middle. Sam Donald doesn't throw it, and I
do think that this is more attributed to him just
getting hit so much that his eyes started to go
all over the place and get sped up. Rather than
(05:35):
playing in a commerce sense.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Dana Lawski just provided countless examples of Sam Darnald not
even throwing the football in the direction of the wide
receiver that was wide open. And in most of those situations,
Donald was actually looking at the wide receiver and he
was not delivering the He was not executing, and Sam
(06:03):
Donald following this game mentioned that in his postgame press
conference when he was interviewed by the reporters there.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Donald didn't hit the throws I should hit in the red.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Zone, didn't execute going down in the red zone and
kicking field goals. That's not going to cut it against
a team like that. It wasn't even that they kicked
field goals. The two fourth down conversions that they failed
on receivers were wide open.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Receivers are wide open.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Now kick three field goals, score two touchdowns. That's twenty
three points field goals. Lose your football games because when
you can't execute and get your butt in the end zone,
you're forfeiting four points every single time. And the Minnesota
Vikings forfeited four points in scoring territory when they sent
(06:59):
out Will Ryker to kick a field goal, and Sam
Donald forfeited fourteen more points on fourth down conversions when
he did not deliver the football to wide open wide receivers.
So there's no doubt that Donald was terrible in this game,
(07:19):
and this is one of his worst NFL games of
the season. It reminded me of the Jacksonville Jaguars game,
but it was a little different too, because in Jacksonville,
Donald had tunnel division towards Jefferson, and after that game
things changed significantly because then he started throwing to Addison
and throwing to Hockinson and throwing to guys more often.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
This game was different.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
He was looking at Addison, he was looking at other
wide receivers.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
He just wouldn't deliver the football.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
And Arlovsky's theory was that Sam Donald was hit so
much that his eyes were going like this and he
just couldn't focus and he was all scattered bringing out
on the football field. And I want to push back
against that a little bit because my theory would be,
if you're getting hit so much and you don't want
(08:13):
to get hit again, then throw the football. Wouldn't you
want to get rid of the football sooner? If you're
getting hit as often as Sam Donald was getting hit
on Sunday Night football against the Detroit Lions, if you're
(08:33):
getting pressured and you're getting knocked down as often as
Donald was. My theory goes, you're gonna get rid of
the ball sooner, then you probably should because you don't
want to get hit again.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
That was not the case.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Donald was holding out of the football and holding on
the football way too long as guys were being schemed
wide open down the field being schemed why open in
the red zone.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
But going back to my original.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Point, I would rather have the Vikings choke in a
playoff like Atmosphere in Week eighteen and take that experience
going into the playoffs, then get a bye week and
choke Round two first home game against whomever. So as
(09:24):
bad as the performance was, the score did not reflect
just how competitive this game was. And you know, give
credit to the Lions for their past rush and doing
those things, but a lot of the missed opportunities were because.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Sam Donald did not throw the football.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So you can credit the Lions all you want, but
my goodness, if Donald connects on some of these wide
open wide receivers, if he just throws the ball, then
the Minnesota Vikings are right in this game and it
probably comes down to the wire. So lots of things
to improve upon. But the good news is is that
(10:06):
the Vikings have the time to improve them. They're not
going into the playoffs on a hot streak, and that
Donald freezes like a deer in headlights in Round two
at us Bank Stadium. They have time to correct their mistakes.
This was a big benefit for the Minnesota Vikings. Despite
(10:28):
not looking like it on paper, despite the score not
reflecting it, there are a lot of positive takeaways the Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Vikings can take from this game.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
You know, they lost by twenty two, but you look
at the game tape. Donald makes this throw, Donald makes
this throw. They're right in the game. So we'll see.
We'll see if the Minnesota Vikings can make that switch
that adjustment against the Los Angeles Rams.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Right now, the Lions are.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Indicating the Minnesota Vikings to be slight favorites, so that
should be interesting as the game gets closer to see
how that line changes. But the fact that we're favorites
right now is a good sign as they get ready
to go to Los Angeles and play on Monday Night football.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
So last week the plan Sunday Night Football. This week
they plan Monday Night Football. The schedule sucks. I hate that.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
I hate waiting for Sunday night. I hate waiting for
Monday night. Give me a twelve o'clock start. But regardless,
it's actually a good thing for the Vikings perspective because
then they have an extra day to rest and recover
and game plan accordingly for the Los Angeles Rams.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
And it doesn't take that big of an adjustment.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
It's not like you need to change the scheme or
change the plays or or change much. The adjustment is
Donald throws the football. The adjustment is wide receiver wide open.
Donald throws the football, doesn't hang on to it and
try to make something else happen, because it's not like
he was looking to the left and.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
The guys running wide open to the right.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
He was looking to the right as the receiver is
running wide open to the right.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
And he would just not throw the ball.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
So adjustments needed, but adjustments that can be fixed pretty simply.
So lots of positives, And as far as I'm concerned,
it's a big break for the Minnesota Vikings despite their
loss against the Detroit Lions, because it happened when it happened.
(12:36):
It happened when it happened, and that's a good thing.
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