Reflection doesn’t ease Vikings’ pain of last-second loss

By Brian Murphy
St. Paul Pioneer Press
MINNEAPOLIS - On second thought, the Vikings’ last-second loss to Buffalo was more agonizing to rehash Monday than it was to experience 24 hours earlier, when Minnesota’s season of despair plunged deeper into the abyss.
Frustration and regret clung like cellophane to coach Mike Zimmer following review of the 17-16 defeat, which was the Vikings’ third straight loss, fifth in seven games and easily their most bitter of 2014.
Zimmer said three times during his day-after news conference at Winter Park that in hindsight he should have called timeout to reset his defense before the Bills’ improbable fourth-and-20, no-huddle conversion with 1 minute, 27 seconds remaining.
Kyle Orton’s 24-yard strike to tight end Scott Chandler on a seam route down the middle of the field was the second of five first-down pickups of 12 or more yards that helped propel Buffalo into the end zone.
“I think we miscalculated the down and distance they were in,” Zimmer said. “We all knew it was fourth down. I just don’t know they had the distance they had to go and we ended up being short on the route.”
After Tom Johnson sacked Orton for a 3-yard loss on third down, the Bills scrambled back to the line with the clock running. Chad Greenway had his head turned relaying Zimmer’s defensive call to the secondary when the Bills snapped, allowing Chandler to gain a step on the linebacker in coverage.
Orton then threw a perfect pass over Greenway’s outstretched arm to extend the drive.
“He was not deep enough, No. 1,” Zimmer said of Greenway. “He was communicating to the nickel (back) and the safety. He was trying to get them lined up, which is part of his job. But his main job is to do his job, too. That’s why I say I take full responsibility for that.
“I saw (Orton) him getting up on the ball, so I called (the defensive play) fast. If I was a little quicker, I would’ve just called a timeout and say, ‘Hey, let’s just get lined up. Let’s do this. Here’s what the situation is. If we stop them then we’ll more than likely win the ballgame.’ ”
Greenway realized the defensive backs were still downfield after the sack and was trying to relay the next play as he lined up.
“Time out, that’s not my decision,” he said. “All I remember is looking back and seeing that Captain (Munnerlyn) was real deep from trying to get back from the last snap and we weren’t aligned. I just tried to give him the call and the ball was on top of us.
“I got to a good spot, but you’ve got to make the play in that situation. My hand was right in the (tight end’s) pocket, but the ball just didn’t come out.”
In the final minute, Orton completed passes to convert third-and-12 and later a pivotal second-and-20 after being penalized for intentional grounding - which necessitated a 10-second runoff - to move the Bills to the 2-yard line.
With one second remaining, Orton hit rookie Sammy Watkins, who got inside position on cornerback Xavier Rhodes in the corner of the end zone, to seal the comeback.
“Just got to get off the field,” safety Harrison Smith. “That’s what the good teams do. The good teams win the game right there. I think that’s just (a case of) one guy needs to step up and make a play.”
There were plenty of chances to make that play:
-- A pass rush that produced six sacks, including two on the final drive, could not get to Orton on the final eight snaps.
-- Greenway couldn’t catch up to Chandler in coverage.
-- Rhodes, who has strengthened his pass defense credentials throughout the season, couldn’t provide it on wide receiver Chris Hogan, who out-jumped him for the second-and-20 reception at the 2-yard line.
-- And the second-year cornerback couldn’t make a play against the rookie sensation, Watkins, in the end zone when it mattered.
Zimmer lamented his team’s habit of reverting to techniques and poor decision-making that have plagued defeats.
“It seems like when we play good, we play with really good discipline, technique football in the right place, do the right things,” he said. “When we don’t play as good, we say, ‘Well, I’m going to do this, or I’m going to do like that player, or I’m going to do that.’ And it’s really all the way across the board - offensively, defensively and some special teams.
“Instead of understanding what allows us to win games, we’re going to take it upon ourselves to try and go win the game as opposed to just keep doing what you’re doing and let the play come to you.”
Sounds an awful lot like what former coach Leslie Frazier said about his 2013 defense, which allowed game-winning touchdown drives in the final two minutes four times.
Smith bristled at any comparison to last year’s dysfunctional defense.
“That’s not how it works,” he said. “You might as well be comparing us to any other team in the league. The name is the same but the teams are completely different.”
But the results are all too familiar.
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