MINNEAPOLIS – The Vikings are ready to turn the page.
After a rough 27-6 home loss to Buffalo, a common theme in Minnesota's locker room was to use the bitter taste and bounce back during a short week.
The Vikings will travel to Los Angeles and face a talented Rams squad on Thursday Night Football.
Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph spoke after Sunday's game and said it reminded him of ugly losses from each of the past two seasons, referencing the Week 15 home game against the Colts in 2016 and last season's NFC Championship Game.
"One thing for us is, [this one] happened in September," Rudolph said. "So what are we doing to do about it? Are we going to learn from it? This could be the best thing for us. We have a really young team, and we have a very talented team. But we can't just roll the ball out there and expect to win."
Rudolph delved into the multiple mistakes by all three phases and said he's excited to move on – and to do it quickly.
"The best thing about this is that we play in four days. So you don't have time to sit back and think about how poorly we played today," Rudoph said. "The best way to bounce back from such a poor performance is to go play well. Thankfully we don't have to play seven days to go play well."
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer during his postgame press conference emphasized that the performance was not an accurate reflection of his team and that adjustments would be made to avoid a repeat offense.
"We're going to have to get things fixed in a hurry. We've got a short week against a good football team on the road again," Zimmer said. "I have not lost faith in this football team. But, it just shows you, every week is a new week. You've got to go out and play."
Linebacker Anthony Barr said it was "definitely" good timing for a short turnaround, and receiver Adam Thielen agreed.
"If anything, this makes it easier to go out on a Thursday night because we want to get back on the field and show we're not the team that we showed today," Thielen said.
After an unexpected loss, Zimmer was asked about his approach to getting the Vikings back on track in a stunted period of time.
The head coach responded that it's not something he's concerned about.
"We had a bad day. We've got to play better, obviously," Zimmer said. "I don't have doubts about this football team. But, this is the NFL, and you've got to go out and play every week."
The Vikings are 1-1-1 as they prepare for consecutive road contests against the Rams and Eagles.
Linebacker Eric Kendricks said Sunday was "disappointing" but echoed Zimmer's confidence in the team.
"I know how we work, so we're going to get back to work," Kendricks said. "We've got a game this week, so I'm not hanging my head too low for too long. We're going to get back after it, and I'm excited to get another opportunity to play."
