What went wrong with the onside kick that almost cost the Vikings?

All the hard work the Vikings put in Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field almost fell by the wayside after they missed an onside kick in the final minute.

This paved the way for Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos to send the game into overtime with a 48-yard field goal as time expired.

As proud as head coach Kevin O’Connell was that the Vikings escaped with a 30-27 overtime win, he was also upset that the lack of execution on the onside kick almost cost them.

What went wrong? Although it appeared to be nothing more than an unforeseen bounce, it was actually a misreading by tight end Johnny Mundt that caused the ball to hit him.

When asked about the special play, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said that when Mundt realized it was going to be a watermelon kick, he should have attacked the ball instead of blocking it.

“He has to have some awareness right there,” Daniels said. “He didn’t see where the ball was.”

The use of the watermelon kick has become significantly more common across the NFL in recent seasons.

This is done by placing the ball on its side and kicking the tip to create a rotating motion. The hope is to create enough spin with the watermelon kick for the ball to travel the required distance of 10 yards.

The only problem? The rules state that on an onside kick, the kicking team may not touch any member of the attacking team until the ball has crossed 10 yards.

That’s why Daniels has stressed to his players the importance of attacking the ball in such situations.

“That’s No. 1,” Daniels said. “As soon as we see it’s a watermelon kick, we’ll get the ball.”

Pace on the injured list

After suffering a hamstring injury over the weekend, linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was placed on injured reserve.

As a result, he will be out for at least the next month, and the Vikings hope he can be back by the playoffs. It’s a tough blow for the Vikings heading into the home stretch as Pace has developed into a key defensive player.

To add depth to the loss, the Vikings signed linebacker Jamin Davis to their active roster, poaching him from the Green Bay Packers, who had signed him to their practice squad.

There could still be untapped potential in Davis considering the Washington Commanders selected him in the first round of the 2021 draft. He totaled 282 tackles, seven sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles in 50 NFL games.

Additionally, the Vikings also activated edge rusher Gabe Murphy from injured reserve.

Quessenberry steps in

The advantage of having veteran left tackle David Quessenberry on the roster is that he has proven he is capable of getting into a game on short notice.

After stepping up last month after star left tackle Christian Darrisaw was sidelined with a knee injury, Quessenberry had his number announced over the weekend when veteran left tackle Cam Robinson left the game with a foot injury.

Although there were some ups and downs for Quessenberry in the game, his presence allowed the Vikings to continue their offense.

“I thought he came in and played really well,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “The left side really wasn’t a problem with him there. We didn’t think, ‘Oh God. We have to get chips over there. “We’ve got to try to make those things work so we can help him every game. “We felt pretty comfortable with him fitting in and playing that role.”

Evans is claimed

After being cut by the Vikings over the weekend, cornerback Akayleb Evans was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers. It will be a fresh start for Evans as he looks to get his career back on track.

Although he started 15 games for the Vikings last season, Evans barely played on defense this season. He was buried on the depth chart behind veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, veteran cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and veteran cornerback Shaq Griffin.

Why didn’t it work out for Evans?

“Sometimes it becomes a numbers situation,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. “He is a talented player who has his place in this league. I wish him all the best in Carolina. He’ll do a great job for them.”