INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Not often under Kevin O’Connell have the Vikings looked completely lifeless. The culture the head coach has worked so hard to build in Minnesota is hinged on operating the same regardless of circumstance.
Some of the stinkers that stand out include the 40-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, the 33-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers in 2023, and the 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in 2024. There might be a few others that fit the criteria. Obviously, the 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the 2024 playoffs is the worst of them all.
The point is very rarely have the Vikings been embarrassed under this regime. It’s not in their DNA to lay down. Even when they lose, they usually at least put up a fight.
That doesn’t apply to the effort the Vikings put forth in the 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium. It was a total system failure from top to bottom across 60 minutes of dysfunction.
If somebody were forced to play this game on their PS5, they would’ve simulated to the end shortly after halftime, then seriously thought about selling their console on Facebook Marketplace.
The struggles of quarterback Carson Wentz made it so the Vikings couldn’t string together consecutive successful plays on offense. The excellence of quarterback Justin Herbert on the other end made it so the Vikings were rendered nonexistent on defense.
Maybe everything would’ve been different for the VIkings if cornerback Isaiah Rodgers actually hauled in the interception that he returned it for a touchdown early in the game.
The call on the field was overturned to an incomplete pass, and the Chargers proceeded to go on a methodical drive that ended with Herbert finding rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden for a touchdown to make it 7-0.
After another punt from the Vikings, the Chargers took complete control, asserting their dominance on the ground before running back Kimani Vidal waltzed into the end zone to make it 14-0.
There was finally some push back from the Vikings after that, only to settle for a 54-yard field goal from Will Reichard to cut the deficit to 14-3. A missed field goal the Chargers on the other end appeared to leave the door open.
Instead, the Vikings were forced to punt it away, and the Chargers put together another impressive drive, capping it with a dime from Herbert to Ladd McConkey for a touchdown to stretch the lead to 21-3 at halftime.
After a field goal from the Chargers made it 24-3, the Vikings finally found the end zone thanks in large part to a pair of penalties. They benefitted from a too many men on the field call as well as an illegal contact call before Wentz found receiver Jordan Addison for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 24-10.
That was as close as the Vikings got to anything resembling a comeback.
The response for the Chargers was immediate, as Herbert found receiver Tre Harris for a touchdown that stretched the lead to 31-10 before Cameron Dicker tacked on a pair of field goals to finalize the score at 37-10.
The lasting image of the debacle was Wentz writhing on the ground in pain after taking another big hit down the stretch, then tossing his helmet in frustration once he reached the sideline.
The isolation camera shots of quarterback J.J. McCarthy wearing a baseball cap provided a glimmer of hope to those watching at home.
