Takeaways from the Vikings’ 37-10 loss to the Chargers

INGLEWOOD Calif You might not be able to find a competition in which the Vikings have looked this bad since hiring head coach Kevin O Connell There were no redeeming qualities to how the Vikings played in the - loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium The struggles spanned offense defense and specials teams which explains why the tournament was never competitive As the final seconds ticked off the clock everybody on the Vikings looked like they would ve rather been anywhere else Here are various takeaways from arguably the largest part embarrassing loss O Connell has experienced as the man in charge Why was Carson Wentz still in the tournament late Never mind that quarterback Carson Wentz is working through a significantly injured left shoulder He still took countless hits throughout the tournament Particular of that had to do with him failing to protect himself in certain situations Certain of that had to do with a depleted offensive line not giving him enough time in the pocket Though he demonstrated a lot of toughness by continuously peeling himself off the turf Wentz perhaps shouldn t have been allowed to play as long as he did It was on O Connell to save Wentz from himself Instead he continued to play through an immense amount of pain and he wasn t very effective completing of passes for yards a touchdown and an interception Why didn t Max Brosmer get a chance There s an argument to be made that quarterback Max Brosmer should ve seen more playing time than he did Though he got various tick in the final minutes completing of passes for yards Brosmer had no impact on the challenge itself Maybe he could ve if he got in earlier The offense was struggling for prolonged stretches with Wentz at the helm It might ve been worth seeing if Brosmer gave the Vikings a better chance to win Urged why he didn t play Brosmer when the challenge was still within reach O Connell noted that he didn t want to put the undrafted free agent in a bad spot so early in his career having to play behind a depleted offensive line Why did Christian Darrisaw leave early The process of getting left tackle Christian Darrisaw feeling percent is still ongoing It doesn t seem like he s reached a place where he can log a heavy workload in consecutive games To his credit he gave it a shot for the Vikings playing a couple of series before exiting the championship for good He clearly wasn t feeling like himself in his limited snaps The loss of Darrisaw was even more key when considering the Vikings were also without right tackle Brian O Neill He not long ago returned from a sprained medial collateral ligament and couldn t get his body ready to go on short rest Why wasn t the defense able to make stops The easiest answer to that question is quarterback Justin Herbert looked like a man on a mission for the Chargers When he wasn t using his right arm to carve up the Vikings especially in the middle of the field he was gaining chunks of yardage with his legs The exotic scheme that defensive coordinator Brian Flores runs has garnered a reputation of being able to confuse signal callers That wasn t the scenario for Herbert as he picked apart the defense seemingly at will It also helped that whenever Herbert needed a break he could hand off to running back Kimani Vidal He finished with carries for yards and a touchdown It wasn t a good look for the Vikings on defense as they surrendered more than yards of total offense Why does it feel like this season is on the brink After falling below for the first time this season the Vikings are about to find out if they re made of right stuff They are in desperate need of a win and have tough games against the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens coming up on their schedule If the Vikings are going to turn it around they have to start by upsetting either the Lions or the Ravens at a minimum If the Vikings lose the next couple of games they can start thinking about a high pick in the NFL Draft The fate of the franchise suddenly rests on the shoulders of quarterback J J McCarthy as long as he s healthy enough to start under center He s a beacon of hope right now with a lot of darkness surrounding the Vikings Related Articles Frederick J J McCarthy has to be answer to Vikings current mess or else Vikings get embarrassed in blowout loss to Chargers in primetime Aaron Jones activated from IR What does his return mean for the Vikings Carson Wentz can t stand Thursday Night Football How d the Vikings handle the short week Vikings at Chargers What to know ahead of Week matchup