Can the Vikings Overcome Uncertainty Against the Rams?
Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings are preparing to play the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round, and they’re working to ensure there’s a different outcome from the last time these two teams met back in Week 8. Puka Nacua, whose 21-day practice window opened a mere 48 hours before kickoff, showed no signs of wear and tear against Minnesota’s secondary. Nacua finished the game with seven catches and 106 receiving yards as the Rams handed the Vikings just their second loss of the regular season.
Brian Flores admitted on Tuesday that he was not expecting Nacua to be activated on such short notice, given that the Vikings and Rams were playing on Thursday Night Football. “Quite honestly we were a little bit surprised that he was out there.” Flores said. “There was a little bit of scrambling.” Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reported that the Vikings didn’t even realize that Nacua would be playing until four hours prior to kickoff.
Brian Flores said the Vikings found out about four hours before the first Rams game that Puka Nacua was going to play, adding they were “a little bit surprised that he was out there” and saying there was “a little bit of scrambling” to prepare for the fact he’d play.
The Rams,…
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) January 7, 2025
At that point, it was far too late for Flores to devise a fully fleshed-out defensive gameplan that accounted for Nacua. That had to have been at least a contributing factor behind the Rams’ upset win over the Vikings. Nacua served as Sean McVay’s ace up his sleeve that he intentionally activated at the last minute to foil Flores, and it worked to perfection. Although Flores is accounting for Nacua this time around, the Vikings have yet to prove that they can perform in the face of uncertainty.
Oftentimes, teams take on the identity of their head coach and it becomes ingrained in their ethos. For example, Mike Zimmer was brutally honest and very demanding of his players, but it came from a place of tough love. Zimmer wanted to build a tough, disciplined defensive unit that emphasized minimizing penalties. Zim did just that, as his defenses were inside the top 10 for least-penalized teams in six out of his eight seasons, and top 10 in defensive DVOA in four out of his eight seasons as head coach of the Vikings.
Kevin O’Connell is a lot more easygoing than Zimmer was, but his defining characteristic is his obsession with process and detail. That fixation has become ingrained in the Vikings’ team culture. That’s not to say Zimmer’s teams were unprepared, but O’Connell takes it to the next level. Take it from Adam Thielen, a veteran receiver who relies heavily on his football IQ to create separation. He once called O’Connell’s system “the toughest offense I’ve had to learn.”
Uncertainty can make preparation difficult, and Nacua’s last-minute activation from injured reserve won’t be the last time the Vikings will have to deal with uncertainty. The Palisades Wildfires are wreaking havoc on Los Angeles, burning over 17,000 acres of land, destroying over 1,200 structures, and forcing over 40,000 evacuations. It has already become the most destructive wildfire in LA history. The NFL is still preparing for Monday’s game to be played at SoFi Stadium, but if conditions worsen, the contingency plan will be to move the game to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. [Update: The game has since been moved.]
The most destructive wind storm to strike the Los Angeles area in 14 years is fanning multiple wildfires and has sent thousands of residents fleeing for their lives https://t.co/OjEU9DkK62 pic.twitter.com/uxpRXUgHj8
— Bloomberg (@business) January 8, 2025
In addition to the logistical hurdles that the wildfires present, there’s also a psychological impact that comes with it. Sam Darnold grew up in Southern California and played college at USC, which is within a 15-mile radius of the wildfires. Darnold is coming off one of the biggest losses of his career in a game where he completed only 43.9% of his passes, and he’s trying to prepare for his first playoff start in the NFL while worrying about the safety of his loved ones. That’s gotta be anxiety-inducing for Sam.
Despite all of the unknown variables, the primary objective for these Vikings remains exactly the same: Go on the road and win a playoff game. The thing about playoff football is that the opponents are much stronger, and thus, the margin for error is much smaller than it is in the regular season. O’Connell could prepare and create counters for every possible thing that Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula will try to throw at Darnold, but that only goes so far. Learning how to be comfortable and perform well in games shrouded with uncertainty has to be the next step for these Vikings.
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