ATLANTA -- Coach Leslie Frazier couldn't blame his players after the Minnesota Vikings' comeback attempt was stopped on a fourth-down play at the Atlanta Falcons' 1-yard line.
"I told the players that's more on me," Frazier said, adding, "I let my emotions get the best of me."
The Vikingslost 24-14 to the Falcons on Sunday after Frazier's decision to go for a touchdown instead of a field goal backfired. Toby Gerhart was stopped for a 2-yard loss with four minutes remaining.
With Minnesota trailing by 10, Percy Harvinhad returned a kickoff 104 yards to the Atlanta 3. Three plays later, the Vikings faced fourth-and-goal at the 1. Minnesota needed two scores, but Frazier decided to go for the touchdown.
Falcons outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon hit Gerhart behind the line.
"When the guy comes screaming off the edge like that, you have no chance," Gerhart said.
Frazier said he should have gone for the field goal.
"That's purely on me," he said. "Just a bad mistake on my part, putting us in that position. But the guys did battle right until the very end. I just have to be smarter in that situation. ... It's something I've got to learn from."
Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder supported his coach's decision.
"I had full confidence we were going to punch that in," Ponder said. "Atlanta has a good defense and they stopped us.
"Another loss, and now we are 2-9. It doesn't feel good. It's getting repetitive, but I have to say that I am proud of the team. They played for four quarters. ... We are going to improve. We've got guys doing everything possible to win games."
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
