Vikings' Offense Crumbles in 14-7 Loss to Browns, Dropping Minnesota to 1-3
The Vikings got the ball first on Sunday afternoon and methodically traveled 75 yards on 14 plays, punching it into the end zone with a 12-yard Kirk Cousins pass to Justin Jefferson. An offense that was off to a hot start through three games behind the play of Cousins appeared to be well on its way to carrying that momentum into October.
Instead, that turned out to be their only score of the game.
Minnesota's offense was horrific after that point in a 14-7 loss to the Browns that drops them to a disappointing 1-3 start. Despite Cleveland giving the Vikings chance after chance to hang around and either take the lead or tie the score, Cousins and company couldn't capitalize. The Vikings' offensive line was dominated in the trenches, and a sellout crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium went home unhappy after watching a mess of a football game.
The Vikings couldn't run the ball against the Browns' front seven, which kept them from getting into a groove offensively. Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, and C.J. Ham combined for just 55 yards on 20 carries, an average of 2.75 yards per tote. It didn't help that Cook was clearly limited by his ankle injury and spent much of the game watching from the sideline. But regardless of who was out there at running back, there were no holes to be found.
Cousins also had his roughest game of the young season, by far. He was only sacked twice, but he was under fairly consistent pressure and could never find a rhythm. Cousins finished the game 20 of 38 for 203 yards, a touchdown, and his first interception of the year.
The Vikings had ten drives after their opening possession. Six of them resulted in five yards or fewer. There were six punts, two turnovers on downs, the interception, and the end of the game.
If the Browns got even remotely competent play from Baker Mayfield, this game would've been a blowout. But Mayfield was awful, constantly letting the Vikings off the hook with strange decisions or inaccurate throws. He completed just 45 percent of his passes for 155 yards. The Vikings' defense deserves some credit for that, but the lion's share of it falls on Mayfield. The Browns managed 14 points behind a dominant running game (184 rushing yards) and a couple long field goals by Chase McLaughlin.
Thanks to Mayfield's struggles, the Vikings had countless opportunities to tie the game or take the lead. Even after coming up short on a fourth down attempt with just 1:21 on the clock, the defense got another stop and Cousins got another shot. They were able to move the ball down the field, in part due to a pass interference call that kept the drive alive, and had one final play from the Browns' 28-yard line. Cousins' pass never had much of a chance and fell harmlessly to the ground.
Despite this loss, Mike Zimmer still believes the Vikings can be a good team. They didn't prove it today, but the Browns are an excellent defensive team that runs the ball well.
Minnesota will look to bounce back next week against the 0-4 Lions. After that, they'll head to North Carolina to take on the Panthers in their final game before the bye week. Realistically, the Vikings need to win both of those to stay afloat.
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