Vikings Pick Up Fourth One-Score Loss of 2023 as They Fall to Chiefs, 27-20

The Vikings lost yet another one-score game. They're 1-4 and now three games back in the NFC North.
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Kirk Cousins dropped back and looked downfield, getting ready to attempt a Hail Mary to possibly tie the score against the defending champion Chiefs in the final seconds. But before he could get a throw off, he was sacked by defensive lineman Mike Danna.

Ballgame over. Another one-score loss in a season full of them for the 1-4 Vikings, who are once again facing a must-win situation when they head to Chicago next week to play the Bears.

The Vikings managed just seven points in the second-half of a 27-20 loss against the Chiefs on Sunday. Two third-quarter touchdown passes by Patrick Mahomes made the difference for Kansas City, which forced a key turnover on downs with the Vikings in the red zone in the fourth quarter.

Cousins threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns, including the third TD reception of rookie Jordan Addison's career. The Vikings were nearly dead even with the Chiefs in total yardage, losing that battle 333 to 329. They also committed four penalties to the Chiefs' ten.

The difference? For the fifth consecutive game, the Vikings lost the turnover battle. They also had a lower percentage on third down, settling for field goals twice in the first half. Some questionable game management from Kevin O'Connell and a couple borderline-controversial decisions by the officiating crew also factored into this outcome.

Kirk Cousins was sacked three times in the Vikings' 27-20 loss / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Stunningly, the Vikings' fumble woes reared their ugly head on the very first play from scrimmage. Kirk Cousins hit Josh Oliver on a screen pass and he rumbled for a first down, but the ball was knocked out of his hands as he was getting tackled. The Chiefs recovered. Not only was it the Vikings' 12th turnover and eighth lost fumble of the season, it was their seventh first-quarter giveaway of the year and their third straight week with a turnover to end their opening drive. 

At this point, it's hard to believe a team could struggle this much to simply hold onto the football. It's not just one or two players, either; Oliver became the sixth different Viking to lose a fumble this season. That fumble immediately put the Vikings at a disadvantage, as the Chiefs capitalized on the field position to open to the scoring with an Isiah Pacheco touchdown.

The Vikings' offense was able to respond a couple times in the first half, but they wound up settling for field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. T.J. Hockenson couldn't come down with a contested catch prior to the first field goal. One play before the second, Cousins and K.J. Osborn weren't quite on the same page on a pass into the end zone. A sack and a Brian O'Neill holding penalty also factored into the Vikings settling for two field goals.

Towards the end of the half, the Vikings finally broke through with a touchdown. After forcing a Chiefs three-and-out, they gutsily converted on a fake punt from near midfield to extend their drive. After two third-down conversions, Cousins hit Addison in the back of the end zone on a crossing route to give the Vikings the lead.

A game that was 13-13 at halftime turned into a 27-13 Chiefs lead at the end of three quarters. During the eventful third quarter, Mahomes went 13-of-16, converted four third downs, and threw two touchdown passes. The Vikings had a couple chances to get stops, but Camryn Bynum couldn't knock down a long third-down pass to Justin Watson on one series and Harrison Smith was called for a long defensive pass interference penalty on fourth down during the other.

In the fourth quarter, the Vikings cut it to a one-score game when Kirk Cousins hit Alexander Mattison for a nine-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass. But when they got the ball back and made it to the red zone, Mattison dropped another screen and then Cousins took hits on both third and fourth down, resulting in balls that fell incomplete in the end zone. On the fourth-down play, officials threw a flag for pass interference but picked it up after a discussion.

They had to attempt to mount their fourth-quarter comeback without Justin Jefferson, who left the game with a hamstring injury.

The Vikings got the ball back for one last chance to tie it, but they were without all three timeouts, which were burned for various reasons earlier in the half. That's when Danna's sack ended things.

Minnesota is now 1-4 and three games back in the NFC North; the Lions trounced the Panthers earlier in the day to reach 4-1.

Next week's trip to Chicago to play the Bears is obviously a must-win for the Vikings to have a chance at turning their season around.


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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.