Numbers Check: Vikings Lose Another One Possession Game
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings went into Baltimore looking to bounce back after a Halloween loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately, they would do no such thing despite taking a 14-3 lead into the second quarter of the game. The offense once again halted for much of the final three quarters of play while the Ravens capitalized with some long drives down the stretch of the game. Here are the numbers that tell the story of this latest disappointing loss for Minnesota.
45
The Baltimore Ravens thrive on tiring opposing defenses with long, methodical drives. This week was no different for the group. After falling behind in this one early on, the Ravens came storming back behind four consecutive touchdown drives. How were they able to wear down the Vikings defense in order to do this? Well, they ran a total of 45 plays during these drives, including a whopping 18 plays on a single 10+ minute drive. They forced Minnesota’s defense to stay on the field and just ran the ball down their throats.
6
In order to keep long drives like these going, the offense is going to need to find a way to come up with big conversions. The Ravens certainly got those as well, as there were six conversions on either third or fourth down during these drives. Minnesota’s defense was a revolving door that constantly let Baltimore get whatever they wanted, including a 3rd and 15 conversion. It’s hard to win games when you can’t get stops in these late down situations.
172/146
One of the glaring issues with this Vikings team has been an inability to build any offensive momentum as the game goes on. That was once again evident throughout this loss. On the Vikings first two drives of the game, the offense tallied 172 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns. As a result, they carried a 14-3 lead into the second quarter with a very favorable outlook. However, as it would turn out, the Vikings would gain just 146 yards over the course of the final three quarters of play. When your first two drives of the game outgain your final eight, that’s usually a recipe for disaster.