The Minnesota Vikings have a long history of suffering heartbreaking defeats, especially in late-season games that impact their playoff positioning. That was once again the case in their Week 15 27-24 loss to the Bengals.

Minnesota had played a solid game for 3 quarters in their road game at Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium. Nick Mullens had played with courage against the surging Bengals and the Vikings brought a 17-3 lead into the 4th quarter. Since the Vikings had allowed just 1 touchdown in the previous 3 games, it appeared that they were in great position to win and improve their record to 8-6.

Holding onto the lead not only would have improved their position, it would have given the Vikings a realistic chance of catching the Detroit Lions for the division title in the NFC North. But the defense suddenly lost its way, the Bengals caught fire and the game disappeared in overtime.

While there were heroes like Jake Browning, Tee Higgins and Evan McPherson for the Bengals, Mullens, head coach Kevin O'Connell and even defensive coordinator Brian Flores deserve the blame for the Vikings (7-7).

Key first-half mistakes, OT failure by Mullens hurt Vikings badly

The Vikings went into halftime with a 7-3 lead over the Bengals, but that lead could have been 13-3 or even 21-3 if Mullens could have avoided brutal turnovers late in the 2nd quarter.

Mullens led the Vikings on a 14-play, 70-yard drive that had given them a 3rd-and-9 play from the Cincinnati 14 with 4:14 left in the half. Mullens launched a pass to Justin Jefferson at the goal line, but his pass was intercepted by Mike Hilton who returned it to the 17-yard line.

The Vikings defense held and Minnesota got the ball back with 1:37 remaining. After Mullens hit rookie Jordan Addison with a 35-yard pass, the Vikings had the ball at the Bengal 25. With a sure field goal seemingly ahead, Mullens found himself getting wrapped up for a potential sack by interior lineman B.J. Hill. Mullens tried to throw the ball to avoid the sack, and Hill came up with a shocking interception.

Had the Vikings scored on either of those possessions, they might have been in an even stronger position at the start of the 4th quarter.

The other huge Mullens mistake was even more critical. It came in overtime on back-to-back 3rd- and 4th-down plays where the Vikings needed 1 yard to keep drives alive from the Cincinnati 42. He failed to pick up the first down on either attempt, and that gave the Bengals the ball in an advantageous position, and they took advantage with a game-winning field from McPherson.

O'Connell loses his imagination in the extra session, and the Vikings paid the price

After the game went into overtime, the Vikings stopped the Bengals on their first possession, and the Vikings needed a field goal to win the game. The Vikings started the possession on their own 37, and Mullens immediately hit tight end T.J. Hockenson with a 12-yard pass.

Two plays later, the Vikings faced a 3rd and 1 from the Cincinnati 42. The Bengals were clearly looking for Mullens to sneak the ball, and that's just what O'Connell decided to do. While he may have gained a foot, he did not get the first down.

Since O'Connell knew that he was going to push for a first down on 4th down, he could have opted to surprise the Bengals with a pass that the home team would not have been looking for on the 3rd-down play.

However, O'Connell refused to call for such a play with a backup quarterback.

After the failed 3rd-down attempt, he went with the same play on 4th down, and Mullens was stopped in his tracks.

Even if O'Connell didn't want Mullens to throw the ball, he could have handed it to Ty Chandler, who had rushed for 132 yards on 23 carries. That would have been a much better choice.

Flores and the Vikings defense failed when it mattered most

NFL observers have been singing Flores' praises throughout the season. Not only had the Vikings put together one of the most improved defenses in the league, they were playing their best football heading into this Week 15 game.

They had not allowed a touchdown since their Week 11 21-20 loss to the Denver Broncos. The Vikings  limited the Chicago Bears to 4 field goals and shut out the Las Vegas Raiders.

They had given up a field goal to the Bengals on their opening possession, but had given them nothing else for 2 consecutive quarters. However, they gave up 2 TD passes to Jake Browning and Joe Mixon also ran for a touchdown in the 4th quarter.

The Vikings could not cover or put enough pressure on Browning when the game was on the line.

Their inability to sustain their defensive excellence could cost them a spot in the playoffs.