EAGAN, Minn. — When the final seconds ticked away on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium, there was plenty of discussion surrounding one topic — penalties.
Whether it was a late no-call on a safety that dashed Minnesota's chances for a comeback, or the 15 other enforced penalties — nine by the Vikings and six by the Los Angeles Rams — infractions weighed heavily in Minnesota's second defeat of the season.
The Vikings (5-2) were flagged 12 times, nine of which were accepted. The defense committed seven of those penalties with three coming on third down.
"When you win, the mistakes are minimized, and when you lose, they're magnified, but the mistakes are always there," said Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. "Right now they're magnified and they should be, and because of that small margin for error, we've got to continue to improve these little details, and I think once we do those things, we'll play the type of football we want to play."
The offense was flagged four times for pre-snap infractions, and while two of them were declined, they've been a growing concern throughout the season. Minnesota has been called for the fifth-most pre-snap penalties (24) in the league, according to NFLPenalties.com, including a handful because of illegal formations.
"When the execution — whistle-to-whistle — happens, we're a pretty darn good offense," said Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell following Thursday's 30-20 loss to the Rams. "We just have to do a little more, make a few more clean play calls — clean execution, get lined up, know what to do and go do it. ... Clearly, we've got to take a look at what our preparation was like and make sure that when we do have more time next week, we're doing the things to prepare this football team to be a little bit better offensively."
The Vikings are approaching a crucial portion of their schedule where they will need to rack up wins over their next five games to keep pace in the super-competitive NFC North. Just one of Minnesota's next five opponents currently holds a winning record (Chicago Bears are 4-3), with the next three opponents combining to go just 7-16.
The 4-4 Indianapolis Colts, who the Vikings will host Sunday night, are the best of the bunch over the next three weeks, so a win this weekend could be a massive boost if Minnesota is going to re-enter the discussion among the league's top teams.
Here are a few other storylines entering this weekend's Vikings-Colts matchup, which can be seen Sunday night on KARE 11:
Life without Christian Darrisaw
When starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw left Thursday's game with a torn ACL and MCL, there was plenty of concern about how the Vikings would respond. David Quessenberry stepped in for Darrisaw to finish out the game, but Minnesota acquired left tackle Cam Robinson on Tuesday in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars to perhaps replace Darrisaw for the remainder of the season.
It could be a lot to ask of Robinson to immediately fill the void this weekend, but coach Kevin O'Connell is hopeful.
“When you lose a player like Christian Darrisaw, it's so catastrophic, because he means so much to your team and your offense, but also just from a standpoint of losing such a veteran presence that we rely so much on,” said O'Connell. “So to find a player of Cam's caliber in-season like Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah) was able to do, very much looking forward to having him here.
The Vikings are also expected to get left guard Dalton Risner back soon, which could open a door for Blake Brandel - who has experience playing left tackle - to swing outside and protect quarterback Sam Darnold's blindside until Robinson is ready to go. Brandel is currently the Vikings' starting left guard but after starting three games at left tackle in 2022, Minnesota could move him back and insert Risner in at left guard.
"Dalton’s healthy. He's ready to roll," O'Connell said Wednesday. "Obviously, we've had a little bit of a plan in place based upon had things all stayed status quo. Dalton's very much a part of the conversation and it really will come down to what ultimately that left tackle spot looks like, the communication factor there as far as guys that have maybe been in there versus getting Dalton in there. But I anticipate trying to get him up to speed and ready to roll."
Whoever takes over at left tackle will have massive shoes to fill as Darrisaw is considered among the best left tackles in the league.
"Just wanted to say about Christian, what a warrior he's been and what an unbelievable job he's done from the moment he stepped in this training camp," said Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips. "I thought he was playing his best football — I thought he was playing All-Pro level football — and has just been a warrior for his teammates."
The Colts are tied for the 10th-fewest sacks (16) this season but did get defensive tackle DeForest Buckner back last week after he sustained an ankle injury in Week 2. Buckner was a disruptor in his return, recording three tackles (one for loss), two quarterback hits and one sack in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans. He'll be a handful this Sunday, especially for a Vikings offensive line that has struggled in the middle.
T.J. Hockenson's return
Tight end T.J. Hockenson has been on the verge of returning to the field after suffering a torn ACL and MCL last December, and after being elevated to the active roster last week it seems imminent that he'll finally be back on the field Sunday. Should Hockenson make his long-awaited return, the Vikings will get back one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league.
Since the team acquired him midway through the 2022 season in a rare inter-division trade with the Detroit Lions, he's been one of the top targets in the passing game. In his 25 games with Minnesota, Hockenson has hauled in 155 passes for 1,479 yards and eight touchdowns. He led the team with 95 receptions last season, and his 960 receiving yards were second only to star receiver Justin Jefferson (1,074).
In his absence this season, tight ends Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt have combined for just 21 catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns.
"I'm just excited to go out there and show all the work I've done and how good these (physical trainers) are that I've worked with," Hockenson told reporters on Thursday. "I can't give enough credit to the people that are here ... I'm just excited to go out there on Sunday and play ball."
Starting strong
The Vikings continue to be the league's best first quarter team this season, outscoring opponents 72-10 in the first 15 minutes. Minnesota has the best first-quarter point margin (62) in the league and hadn't allowed a single touchdown until Week 8 when the Rams found the end zone on their opening drive.
Their 72 points in the opening frame is the most the Vikings have scored (at this point in the season) since at least 2000 and they're the only team in the league this season to have scored a first-quarter touchdown in every game. If Minnesota can score in the first quarter on Sunday night, it will be the first time since 1984 that the Vikings have started a season with eight straight games of opening-quarter points.
Quarterback Sam Darnold has been a big reason for the Vikings' quick starts, completing 38 of 47 passes (80.8%) for 418 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions in the first quarter.
However, Darnold's stats in the closing quarter have been concerning, resulting in the Vikings being outscored 51-40 in the final 15 minutes this season. Darnold has completed just 22 of 41 passes (53.7%) for 318 yards in fourth quarters, collecting just one touchdown and an interception.
Darnold's lone fourth-quarter touchdown pass against the Texans is the offense's only touchdown this season in the final frame. In fact, Minnesota's defense has scored as many fourth-quarter touchdowns this year as the offense.
Colts turn to former Super Bowl MVP
The Colts are turning to quarterback Joe Flacco this Sunday after second-year signal caller Anthony Richardson failed to build off the flashes he displayed in his injury-shortened rookie campaign.
Richardson, the fourth pick in the 2023 NFL draft, was 10 of 32 for 175 yards, one touchdown and an interception in Sunday's 23-20 loss to Houston. He was also sacked five times and drew outside criticism for taking himself out of the game for a play because he said he was tired.
Flacco has appeared in four games this season, including two starts. He's completed 71 of 108 pass attempts for 716 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 102.2. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback has gone 1-2 in his career against the Vikings but hasn't played Minnesota since 2017 when he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
Last season, Flacco helped lead the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs by going 4-1 as a starter in the final five games of the regular season. The Browns eventually lost in the wild-card round to the Texans, but the 17-year NFL veteran helped revive the team after they lost starting quarterback Deshaun Watson to a shoulder injury. Flacco is a more-than-capable backup who has proven he can shine under the brightest of lights, as he was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII.
Blake Cashman continues to recover
The Vikings defense has certainly looked different without linebacker Blake Cashman, who led the team in tackles through the first five games. The former University of Minnesota standout and Eden Prairie-native was injured in Week 6 against the New York Jets and has not practiced since.
Injury reports say Cashman is suffering from turf toe.
In his absence, the Vikings defense has allowed 777 total yards (388.5 yards per game) and 61 points (30.5 points per game), leading to the team's only two losses of the season. On Wednesday, coach Kevin O'Connell said Cashman was going to work off to the side during practice, but added that a decision won't be made about his availability until the coach sees how Cashman is moving around.
"He has done everything we have asked him to do," O'Connell said. "I am really hopeful we will have him Sunday night."