EAGAN, Minn. — You can double check your calendars, but there are still seven Vikings games remaining in the 2019 regular season.
Yes, Minnesota saw its four-game win streak snapped Sunday in Kansas City with a 26-23 loss to the Chiefs.
The loss came at Arrowhead Stadium, a venue where the Chiefs are now 39-14 (.736 win percentage) in the regular season under Head Coach Andy Reid since 2013.
And yes, it's never easy to give it your all, only to fall short in a game that comes down to a game-winning field goal by the opponent on the final play of the game.
But don't expect Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer, or his players, to suddenly start reaching for the panic button.
"We'll move forward. It's not the end of the world," Zimmer told Twin Cities media members on Monday afternoon. "Getting ready to go play Dallas, good football team, and play a little bit better."
Vikings safety Anthony Harris succinctly broke down the loss to Kansas City.
"You look at what we did, how we performed, some plays that we left out there that could have changed the game," Harris said. "Just how we made it a little bit harder on ourselves. You can't do that when you have a team that is that talented and explosive."
Following Week 9, there was certainly a sense of frustration in the Vikings locker room — both Sunday after the loss and on Monday afternoon.
But it's not as if Minnesota's season is over and done with.
The Vikings are now 6-3 and one of 15 teams in the NFL with a winning record. Minnesota is one of five teams in the NFC with at least six wins, and the Vikings point differential of plus-76 in nine games ranks third in the league.
And, if the 2019 season ended today, the Vikings would be in the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.
Vikings rookie tight end Irv Smith, Jr. may be in his first season in the pros, but he accurately summed up the week-to-week roller coaster that is the National Football League.
"Coming into the NFL as a rookie, it's different coming from college," said Smith, Jr., who played at Alabama. "In college, you lose one game and it's the end of the world. You lose one game in the NFL, and you have to just forget about it.
"It's tough. I hate losing, and we hate losing as a team," Smith, Jr. added. "But it's something we're going to build from. I'm excited about this offense and this team."
The Vikings are back on the road in Week 10 for another chance to prove themselves, as Minnesota readies for a prime-time showdown against Dallas on Sunday Night Football.
The NFC East-leading Cowboys currently sit at 4-3 ahead of their game against the Giants on Monday Night Football.
Whether the Cowboys win or lose Monday night, the Vikings know it won't be easy to go on the road and get a win at AT&T Stadium.
But they know that's life in the NFL, where it's a week-to-week grind and a fight to make the postseason dance.
"Every week is important," Harris said. "Anytime you get an opportunity to go out there and compete and play a game, it's exciting.
"It's an opportunity to move on from the past week, move forward," Harris added. "We get to go out there and see if we can improve."
