Los Angeles Chargers at Minnesota Vikings: Second quarter recap and third quarter discussion

The teams are heading into the locker rooms in Minneapolis for halftime, and your Minnesota Vikings trail the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 14-10.

The Vikings punted the ball away on the first play of the quarter, and after the Vikings’ defense forced a punt of their own, the purple remembered that they have Justin Jefferson on their team, as Kirk Cousins found him twice for 55 yards and pushed the ball down to the Chargers’ 12-yard line. A couple of plays later, we got the first touchdown in a Vikings’ uniform for Josh Oliver, as Cousins found him from 4 yards out to tie the score at 7-7.

On the Chargers’ ensuing drive, the strangest thing happened. . .a Vikings opponent fumbled the ball and the Vikings recovered it! Jordan Hicks stripped one away and then came out with the recovery, and the Vikings set up shop in Los Angeles territory.

The Vikings then pushed down to a goal-to-go from the Chargers’ 3-yard line. On first and goal, Alexander Mattison appeared to have lost another fumble, but it was ruled that his forward progress had stopped to allow the Vikings to keep the football. Even with that gift, the Vikings had to settle for three points, as Greg Joseph put the ball through the uprights from 23 yards out to make it 10-7 just ahead of the two-minute warning.

The Chargers then calmly marched down the field, setting up a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Again, it was Justin Herbert to Donald Parham, connecting for their second touchdown of the day and putting the Chargers back on top by a score of 14-10. That’s where we sit at halftime at U.S. Bank Stadium.

It’s been an interesting first half of football, but the good guys still trail by a score of 14-10. The Vikings get the football first to start the second half, so hopefully they can get things going on offense. Come on in and join us, won’t you?