Photo: Vikings.com |
The Vikings committed 11 penalties during Sunday’s 26-9 loss
in Pittsburgh. The team couldn’t get off the field on defense and struggled to
find an offensive identity. Daniel House provides his initial thoughts on the
road loss.
Updated: September 17, 2017, 4:45 p.m.
By: Daniel House
By: Daniel House
The Vikings were incredibly undisciplined during Sunday’s
game in Pittsburgh. The team committed 11 penalties for 131 yards, allowing the
Steelers to extend drives. Minnesota had a penalty on all but two of the
Pittsburgh scoring drives, including a key offsides penalty in
the first half. The Steelers gained five first downs from penalties, which kept the
Vikings’ defense on the field for an extended time frame. The Steelers controlled the clock and picked up large chunks of yardage off penalties. This was a very undisciplined
effort by the Vikings and many of the issues in this game were self-inflicted. As
a whole, the defense kept running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio
Brown in check. Bell rushed for 87 yards on 22 carries and Brown tallied just
62 receiving yards. The key difference in this game was the Vikings’ inability
to execute their individual responsibilities. Minnesota only notched 237
yards and added another 131 in penalty yardage. That type of effort will almost
always lead to poor results.
Minnesota was without quarterback Sam Bradford, who was missed Sunday's game with a knee injury. Case Keenum ran the offense and the unit was plagued by
pressure up front. Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers combined to lose multiple reps
on the edge. Nick Easton whiffed on several blocks and had a key holding call
that haulted a drive. Remmers and Easton clearly struggled the most among the
offensive lineman. Keenum was under duress significantly, but had opportunities
to move up in the pocket, too. More importantly, he could have potentially made
better adjustments at the line of scrimmage to counter the pressure Pittsburgh
was sending. Keenum looks less comfortable when the pocket is condensed, which is
something he faced on a consistent basis Sunday. However, the offensive line
really struggled and it put a strain on the entire unit. Running back Dalvin
Cook created yards after contact and nearly had his first career NFL touchdown.
Cook’s vision, combined with his second gear on the edge makes him tough for
opposing defenders to bring down. He was one of the lone bright spots on offense, adding 64 yards on 12 carries.
The defense was highlighted by penalties during almost every
drive they were on the field. Whether it was offsides, holding, or pass
interference, their mistakes allowed the Steelers to stay on the field and
bleed clock. The Vikings were unable to play complementary
football in all three phases. An unsuccessful fake punt, missed extra point,
and a poor kickoff return were just a few additional errors made on special
teams. Those mistakes, combined with the problems on both sides of the ball
were not a recipe for success.
The secondary particularly struggled by picking up holding
and pass interference calls. Minnesota was lined up incorrectly during a
27-yard touchdown reception by Martavis Bryant on cornerback Terence Newman. In
addition, cornerback Trae Waynes was beaten deep and picked up a pass interference
penalty. Newman, Waynes, and Rhodes all tallied holding or pass interference infractions. The Vikings clearly had issues in the secondary, which was a concern
entering the season. Minnesota’s front-seven was one of they key reasons the
Vikings remained within striking distance. Everson Griffen used an inside spin move to sack
quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He notched a pair of quarterback takedowns and two tackles for
loss. The Vikings were able to apply pressure, but penalties completed derailed
much of the success.
It was clear the Vikings missed quarterback Sam Bradford,
but penalties and poor offensive line play were the name of the game. Cleaning both
of these issues up will be critical as the Vikings prepare for a sneaky home
matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday.
Waynes, Remmers and Easton were terrible. 131 yards in penalties is ridiculous. I think the leadership is in question - two years ago this team won with good defence, special teams and a modest offence. And we played disciplined football. They didn't make a lot of mistakes and took very few penalties. I realize this is one game - it was a loss on my calendar. What worries me isn't the loss but the way they lost. Next week will tell us a lot. If we play disciplined football and just get beat so be it. If we play like today it's going to raise a lot of questions.
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