It might’ve been the biggest play of the Vikings-Broncos game last weekend.

The way the Vikings were moving the ball at that point late in the third quarter, a touchdown almost started to feel inevitable. It seemed as if Minnesota was going to run away with a decisive win for a change. Then running back Alexander Mattison took a handoff on first down and promptly coughed it up.

That put the Vikings right back in the meat grinder on their way to a frustrating 21-20 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Asked about the fumble in the immediate aftermath, head coach Kevin O’Connell acknowledged it was a pivotal play that had a big impact on the outcome. He has preached the importance of ball security ad nauseam this season, and while the Vikings had managed to rectify the issue for the most part, it reared its ugly head at the worst possible time.

“We’ve had some momentum as a football team,” O’Connell said roughly 30 minutes after the loss. “We learned again tonight some lessons that we’ve talked a lot about throughout this season.”

It raises the question: Will there be consequences for Mattison fumbling? Perhaps in the form of more touches for fellow running back Ty Chandler?

Though the Vikings haven’t gone public with how they plan to split up the carries, there were some breadcrumbs left this week at TCO Performance Center regarding the playing time in the backfield. Maybe the most notable came from O’Connell, as he went out of his way to compliment the way Mattison ran the ball last weekend, then mentioned the costly fumble without being asked about it.

“I’ve talked to Alex about ball security,” O’Connell said. “We can’t put the ball on the ground.”

It’s something that Mattison has worked on after also having a costly fumble in the Vikings’ 34-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles this season. The coaching staff went as far as buying new equipment to help hammer home the importance of ball security in practice.

“We’ve progressed and had less footballs on the ground,” O’Connell said. “It’s come through a lot of hard work.”

It’s clear how seriously O’Connell takes the issue of ball security simply by listening to him speak. If he wanted to send a message to Mattison, there might not be a better way than having him take a backseat to Chandler when the Vikings host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

Will that actually happen? That remains to be seen.

“It’s very important that our guys understand how important it is to possess the football,” O’Connell said. “We have to be critical to make sure there is an accountability factor there.”

Related Articles

The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 12: Rams getting top runner back

Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs enjoyed watching his parents go viral

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson speaks up about harassment on social media: ‘I’m just tired of it’

The Loop NFL Picks: Week 12

When quarterback Josh Dobbs scrambles, good things happen for the Vikings