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The Minnesota Vikings played a sloppy, ugly game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10 and lost the crucial contest as a result. However, as bad as JJ McCarthy was (two interceptions on worse than 50 percent passing), and as horrendous as the offensive line’s franchise-record eight false starts at home proved to be, Fox Sports columnist Henry McKenna asserted that the lion’s share of the blame should fall on the shoulders of head coach Kevin O’Connell. “This week’s performance might’ve been the worst coaching performance of the Vikings coach’s career,” McKenna wrote on November 9. “And it led to a truly poor performance from his QB, who O’Connell swore to protect from himself.” McKenna first referenced the false starts and the potential issues with McCarthy’s cadence, but his more specific beef had to do with O’Connell’s situational play calling and the circumstances it created for McCarthy is his fourth-ever NFL start. O’Connell wouldn’t quit the passing game — not even in short-yardage situations (where McCarthy ended up throwing a pair of deep passes for a pair of interceptions). And then as Minnesota slowly gave up the lead, he had to ask his quarterback to keep passing. By the end of the game, McCarthy had a frenetic energy that made life difficult for the Vikings. It showed up in every throw. After spending all offseason discussing an emphasis on layering balls and applying more touch to his passing, the QB began throwing fastballs, exclusively. Ravens Defense May Have Played Role in Vikings’ Extensive Pre-Snap Issues The false start issues were something of a mystery, which O’Connell referenced during his postgame press conference. “Whatever was going on with the cadence, or whatever it may be, just not acceptable in any way,” O’Connell said. “We’ve got to fix it. We’ve got to understand what was different today than what had been something we felt like we eliminated from maybe early on in the season.” Kevin Seifert of ESPN interviewed players, such as running back Aaron Jones, who indicated that the Ravens were mimicking offensive cadence on the defensive line, which could have contributed to Minnesota’s problem. “Sometimes it’s hard to hear. They’re making ‘move calls’ up front, so sometimes it sounds like it could be J.J. [saying], ‘Set hut,’ but they’re making move calls and you see them stem, and so they’re trying to get them to jump as well,” Jones said, per Seifert. “They’re playing a little game there, too. So, that’s what they get paid to do. And we just got to lock in a little more.” O’Connell noted the possibility but largely dismissed it. “I did not get any indication from our guys they were doing that,” he said. JJ McCarthy Shouldered Blame for Vikings’ Struggles in Ravens Loss Ultimately, McCarthy took the blame for the sloppy play and the turnovers, though one of the three came on special teams and had nothing to do with the quarterback. “It was there, we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. I take full responsibility for the pre-snap procedural penalties,” McCarthy said. “We got three turnovers and just, you know, too many things that don’t set us up for success when the clock hits zero.” Still, McKenna refused to let O’Connell off the hook. “The Vikings threw the ball (and committed penalties) on third-and-short. They tried to stay out of third-and-long but committed too many penalties,” McKenna wrote. “They checked off the ‘how to beat yourself’ list and, in turn, missed a major opportunity to beat a surging Ravens club.”
