The Minnesota Vikings (10-4) were clinging to a 12-10 lead when the Los Angeles Chargers (5-9) marched down the field right before halftime. It appeared that the Chargers were going to get into field goal range and take a 13-12 lead heading into the half.
With 23 seconds left, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers dropped back to pass, and when Vikings star defensive end Danielle Hunter knocked the ball loose from Rivers as the pocket collapsed. The ball bounced around before being picked up by reserve defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo who raced in for a 56-yard touchdown. With a 19-10 lead, the defense swung momentum in a game that could have tilted in Los Angeles’ favor. The defense finished with seven total takeaways in the convincing 39-10 victory at Dignity Health Sports Park that was filled with mostly Vikings fans.
Minnesota Vikings Defense Dominates in 39-10 Victory
Careless Chargers Repeatedly Put the Ball on the Ground
The Rivers fumble wasn’t the only time that the Chargers would let the ball hit the ground. Immediately after halftime (and according to the CBS broadcast, a point of emphasis), a Shamar Stephen strip of Chargers running back Melvin Gordon gave Minnesota the ball back right after their momentum-shifting touchdown going into the half. Despite only kicking a field goal, the Vikings had scored 10 points and had a firm grasp on the game.
Gordon fumbled twice in total and was standing on the sideline for much of the second half. Tight end Hunter Henry even got in on the fun as he fumbled immediately following a reception. Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks popped his hand in and forced the fumble and cornerback Trae Waynes picked the ball up and set up a short 10-yard touchdown drive that ended any hope of the Chargers coming back. An additional fumble was knocked out of bounds and retained by the Chargers, but in total, the four lost fumbles changed momentum and sealed the deal.
Ball Hawks Travel to LA
Fumbles weren’t the only issue the Chargers had on Sunday. Rivers came into the game with 15 interceptions, and he wasn’t shy about continuing to toss up risky passes. Vikings safety Harrison Smith got his second interception in as many weeks as the two-minute warning struck in the first half. Cornerback Mike Hughes, who struggled to begin the game, got his second career interception in the fourth quarter and shut down a drive that was threatening the Vikings red zone. While ultimately inconsequential, it shut the door on a game that was back-and-forth in the first half mostly because of the ineffectiveness of the Vikings pass defense. An Anthony Harris interception ended the game with under two minutes left. The three interceptions was the most the Vikings have had in 2019.
Bend But Don’t Break
When the Vikings weren’t forcing turnovers, they weren’t exactly shutting down the Chargers offense. LA accumulated 345 yards of offense and seemed to be picking on the 5’10” Mike Hughes. But after falling behind 10-9, Minnesota didn’t allow another score. Holding the Chargers to 62 yards rushing kept them one-dimensional and predictable. And with three sacks, the defense was able to make the immobile Rivers nervous in the pocket. In fact, his fumble right before halftime was the result of Kendricks blowing up the inside of the pocket. When Rivers felt the pressure, Hunter grazed the ball just enough to force the fumble. It wasn’t the most dominating performance of the year, but it got the job done.
The Final Word
With 20 points off of turnovers, the Minnesota Vikings defense played a game they haven’t been used to under head coach Mike Zimmer. A fundamentally-focused defense, the Vikings haven’t been known for forcing a ton of turnovers during Zimmer’s tenure. But the seven turnovers were the most under Zimmer. Those numbers will not repeat themselves very often, but a game that could have potentially turned out poorly for the Vikings ended up being a one-sided affair because of the defense.
