Ian Maule/Getty Images
With two minutes remaining in the Minnesota Vikings Week 14 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Vikings kicker Greg Joseph nailed a 36-yard field goal to put his team in the lead.
The kick secured the victory for the Vikings but signaled far more from that. From a personal standpoint, it avenged an earlier miss from Joseph. However, the bigger impact is that it provided the only offense of the day, as Minnesota took the victory via a 3-0 score.
The Vikings trotted Josh Dobbs out as the starting quarterback but this very well may have been his final start of the season. He went 10-of-23 for 63 yards and took five sacks. Nick Mullens replaced him in the fourth quarter and proved to be the most efficient offensive player on the field, going 9-of-13 for 83 yards and leading the Vikings on a drive that set up Joseph's field goal.
Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell was just as mediocre. The rookie went 20-of-31 for 142 yards and four sacks, adding a late interception that sealed the victory for Minnesota.
This was the seventh NFL game to finish with a 3-0 score post-merger and it was the first such game since 2007 when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins by that score.
That's not to say there weren't some strong plays, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby had two sacks and 10 total tackles and the Vikings defense forced two turnovers and had four sacks.
Minnesota Vikings @Vikings.<a href="https://twitter.com/DWonnum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DWonnum</a> gets another <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vikings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vikings</a> sack! <br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFLonFOX</a> <a href="https://t.co/9aZugFwgAI">pic.twitter.com/9aZugFwgAI</a>
Still, the sluggish offensive output was the main storyline of the game and made for a lackluster viewing experience.
The audience was treated to 17 punts, a missed field goal and two turnovers and the team's combined for a total of just 530 offensive yards. This came despite the game being played in a dome, meaning weather wasn't a factor.
Fans on social media poked fun at the effort from both teams and pleaded a case for the game being considered among the worst of all time.
Dave - Minnesota Sports Talk @SKOLWorldWe are doing this on turf in a dome!?!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/skol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#skol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vikings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vikings</a> <a href="https://t.co/fJITp9NktC">pic.twitter.com/fJITp9NktC</a>
George Masters @gsmasters96Can we just marvel at the fact that there is a modern day NFL game that is 0-0 thru 3 quarters in a non weather game (its in a Dome 🥲) and the teams involved are not the Steelers, Patriots, Bears, Giants or Jets 😅 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MINvsLV?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MINvsLV</a> #
Whamshki @whamshkiBoth teams possession results so far:<br><br>Raiders (8): Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, End of Half, Fumble, Punt, Punt<br><br>Vikings (7): Punt, Punt, Missed FG, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt<br><br>📯 MIN 0 - ☠️ LVR 0<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Raiders?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Raiders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LVRaiders?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LVRaiders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RaiderNation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RaiderNation</a>
Black Dan Le Batard @BlackLeBatardJimmy G, Brian Hoyer and Aidan O'Connell <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/raiders?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#raiders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MINvsLV?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MINvsLV</a> <a href="https://t.co/mpMQH8LpxG">pic.twitter.com/mpMQH8LpxG</a>
The loss dropped the Raiders to 5-8 on the season and the opportunity for any meaningful accomplishments with this team appears to be out of the question.
The Vikings, on the other hand, could reasonable find themselves in the postseason. The victory improved the team's record to 7-6 and this would put it in the second wild card spot. While several teams are in striking distance, Minnesota have as much of a chance as anyone to qualify, and earning a victory despite such a inept offensive performance is at least a positive.
