The Minnesota Vikings are having difficulties in getting the job done since last season.
They were at 6-6 after 13 weeks with four games left to play.
Win all of those games, and they could sneak into the playoffs.
Sadly, the Vikings lost the next three games before winning their season-ender against division rival Detroit Lions.
The team missed the playoffs with a 7-9 record despite having talented players like Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, and Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings hoped that having a training camp would help them establish a great start to their 2021 season.
Unfortunately, they still come up short after two hard-fought games.
Their record could easily be 2-0 if the breaks of the game fell their way.
Instead, head coach Mike Zimmer and the entire roster are staring at an 0-2 hole.
Die-hard Vikings fans must have felt much agony as the other team clinched the victories.
Their high hopes for this team quickly turned into frustration.
Bengals Slay Vikings In Overtime
Ja’Marr Chase received much criticism for dropping balls during the preseason.
However, he proved his critics wrong, and the Vikings were at the wrong end of his impressive NFL debut.
The former LSU wide receiver torched the Minnesota secondary with five receptions for 101 yards and a 50-yard touchdown against Bashaud Breeland.
Chase became the first Bengals rookie wide receiver to exceed 100 yards in Week 1.
Running back Joe Mixon was also a major thorn in the Vikings as he finished with 29 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Cousins did play well against the Bengals with 36 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns.
Sadly, they couldn’t generate points when it mattered most.
Minnesota trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter, 24-14.
A touchdown run from Cook and a field goal from Greg Joseph sent the game to an extension.
The Vikings had the ball back for their second drive in overtime after both teams opted to punt.
But by the two-minute warning at the Bengals’ 38-yard line, Cincinnati’s Germaine Pratt recovered Cook’s fumble.
Joe Burrow’s 32-yards pass to C.J. Uzomah brought the Bengals to Minnesota’s red zone.
Evan McPherson followed with a successful 33-yard field goal attempt to give Cincinnati the win, 27-24.
Sorry Loss Against The Cardinals
Cook had a solid game with 22 carries for 131 yards, while Cousins had three touchdown passes.
However, those performances were not enough to secure the win.
In the third quarter, the Vikings took the lead when Nick Vigil intercepted Kyler Murray’s pass and ran it to Arizona’s end zone for a pick-six.
The Cardinals responded with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Murray to A.J. Green, bringing the count to 31-30.
Joseph’s field goal made it 33-31, but Matt Prater’s 27-yard kick gave the lead back to Arizona, 34-33.
Minnesota had two opportunities to score points and take the upper hand.
Unfortunately, the first drive ended in a punt, and the second saw Joseph miss a 37-yard field goal.
The Vikings lost two games by a total of four points, and they should not leave their fate to last-second efforts.
They must be relentless on both sides of the ball against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 if they want to score their first victory.
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