In what could amount to the most embarrassing loss in franchise history, the Vikings managed to lose to a team who split carries between three running backs.
But these weren’t just any three running backs. Two of these Cleveland ball carriers combined for five career starts entering yesterday (Bobby Rainey and Chris Ogbonnaya), and the other was signed midweek and left his best football at the University of Miami 11 years and two knee ligament tears ago (in case you forgot the near-career ending injury he endured at Miami, the gory details are below). The latter led the team in carries, a whopping eight for a total of nine yards.
That’s not even beginning to embark on the long list of reasons this defeat was so putrid, but the other horrific happening was a third-string QB ripping apart the Purple secondary to the tune of 321 yards and three scores.
So it’s no wonder that today the critics, supporters, naysayers, diehards, experts, and pundits alike all are agreeing on one thing: FAILURE.
Let’s start right after the grotesque finish to the contest, with Vikings players themselves telling us that they’re not any happier than those outside the locker room about this loss.
Mark Craig of the Star Tribune says Christian Ponder once again let a chance to get fans on his side slip away.
Ben Goessling, formerly of the Pioneer Press and now of ESPN.com, says Ponder might be happy to get away from home this week.
Mike Wobschall of Vikings.com looks at the four things that turned things against Minnesota yesterday.
Chip Scoggins of the STrib calls the Vikings loss disjointed and sloppy.
Patrick Reusse is already deeming the 2013 Vikings campaign, a “lost season.”
Yahoo! contributor Allen Moody has an all-encompassing look at what this loss means and where the problems lie (everywhere).
Finally on the Vikings side, here’s what you’re saying, which among other things, is that the Minnesota defense is an abject catastrophe.
In Cleveland, there’s shock and awe, and Brian Hoyer mania of course.
The Cleveland Plain-Dealer has it all, from Hoyer “earning the starting job” over Brandon Weeden, to the unthinkable “Browns offense was entertaining” angle, to the outrageous question “has your faith in the Browns been renewed” after beating a completely hapless, helpless, and hopeless Vikings team.
Breaking news Cleveland, your team isn’t good, that purple one you played just totally sucks.
