Whether it was missed assignments, dropped passes or too many turnovers, the Vikings walked away feeling like they had beat themselves.
That might not be a bad thing going forward, wrote Dave Campbell of the Associated Press.
Campbell noted that although the Vikings lost for the first time in nine games, “the outcome, though, could actually work in their favor.”
He added:
With all that postseason capital built up over the eight-game winning streak, the Vikings had a margin for the error they exhibited Sunday while being beaten by the Panthers 31-24.