The Minnesota Vikings fell short of winning their third game in consecutive fashion Sunday night, when they lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 20-16 at home.
It was an especially gut-wrenching loss for Mike Zimmer and the Vikings because of a bad decision the head coach made late in the game.
The Vikings took a three-point lead thanks to a field goal made by Greg Joseph with still 2:51 left in regulation. The Cowboys had a chance to tie or take the lead from the Vikings in their next possession, which they did when Cooper Rush found Amari Cooper for a touchdown several plays later.
However, that could have been prevented by the Vikings if not for a penalty called on them after Vikings head coach Zimmer called back-to-back timeouts that made it easier for the Cowboys to convert a third down just before Cooper's touchdown reception.
Zimmer would later admit his screwup that cost the Vikings a chance to stop Dallas, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com:
“Yeah, I screwed up,” Zimmer said, per the team's transcript. “I forgot that I called one. Somebody yelled at me. I knew the play they were running. Really the same play they hit down the middle against us for the long touchdown. So somebody said, ‘Call timeout.' I did. The official wasn't supposed to grant it. They're supposed to not grant it. Anyway, it's not his fault. So (we) ended up getting a five-yard penalty.”
Minneasota will have to forget all that and prepare now for another tough challenge, as it is set to lock horns with the Baltimore Ravens on the road in Week 9. Kirk Cousins and the Vikings are now 3-4, good for second in the NFC North division.
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