It’s been a rough last few days for the Minnesota Vikings. Not only are they on a two-game losing streak, but one of their players will be lighter in their wallet due to an incident in their Week 7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
On October 25, the NFL released the Week 7 Gameday Accountability fines for player infractions. The fine schedule is agreed upon by both the NFL and NFLPA and provided to all players before the season begins. Players cited for a violation have the right to appeal. Appeals are reviewed by officers, including former NFL players Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, or Jordy Nelson, who are jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA.
For the Vikings, the player who was fined was linebacker Ivan Pace. He was penalized for unnecessary roughness after using his helmet on a play in the fourth quarter at the 1:57 minute mark. As a result, the league is fining Pace $5,759 for that incident.
### Can the Vikings Turn Their Situation Around?
The fine isn’t the end of the world for the Vikings. Still, it just adds to the challenging few days Minnesota is facing. After losing in Week 7 to the Eagles, they began Week 8 with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, dropping their record to 3-4.
Nonetheless, quarterback Carson Wentz isn’t worried about the sub-.500 record. He expressed confidence that the team will rebound as they prepare for their Week 9 clash with NFC North rival, the Detroit Lions.
“I just know the guys in that locker room,” Wentz told reporters postgame on October 23. “I know the guys; I know the coaches; I’ve still only been here for a short period of time, but I know the resolve, the resiliency, and the character of the guys in there. That gives me confidence.
“I know coach being the leader in this building is as positive as it gets, and I know he’ll do everything he can in his power to get us right.
“I have a lot of confidence in the guys. Hopefully, we can keep getting some guys back healthy, all that stuff. This was a short week. This was a tough one. We just didn’t have it tonight. The NFL is weird. It’s hard to win, hard to be consistent. So at the end of the day, just turn the page and go attack it next week.”
### Vikings Face Major Hurdle Amid Losing Streak
Meanwhile, the Vikings have several areas of their game that need improvement as they head into Week 9. Head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t sugarcoat the result, openly acknowledging that the Chargers were better across the board.
“We got outplayed,” O’Connell said (h/t Pro Football Talk). “We got outcoached; we did not — there are no excuses. Injuries, short week, whatever it is, that is not in any way, shape, or form our standard of what we want to put on the field, and we’ve got — as I told our team — we’ve got an opportunity in front of us where we need to own this.
“This is not a bury-the-tape kind of time for our organization. This is a ‘watch it, view it, own it.’ Every coach, every player. And it starts with me. I did not have our team prepared to play.”
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