Minnesota Vikings loss to blame on miscues and penalties
By Travis Young
Poor defensive play and breakdowns were the Minnesota Vikings downfall more so than their lack of a starting quarterback.
If you are looking for a reason the Vikings lost on Sunday, look no further than 11 penalties for 131 yards. Take it from someone that was there, the Minnesota Vikings looked ill prepared to take on the physical Pittsburgh Steelers. Coming into the match-up at Heinz Field, most everyone realized the Vikings were a definitive longshot. To escape with a victory without Sam Bradford, terrific defense, turnovers, big plays and standout play on special teams were all needed. The Vikings displayed none of these.
The first touchdown drive for the Steelers was aided by a mind-numbing offside call on Brian Robison. Faced with a fourth and one near midfield, everyone in the stadium except Robison knew Ben Roethlisberger was only trying to pull any Viking over the line of scrimmage. With a hard count, Robison jumped and the drive continued.
Moments later, the Vikings kicked themselves again when Xavier Rhodes tried to hold up Antonio Bryant on a fly pattern, but was flagged for a 22 yard pass interference penalty. This lead to an easy crossing pattern touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Martavis Bryant.
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The Steelers next touchdown march was aided primarily by a 49 yard pass interference penalty on Trae Waynes against Martavis Bryant. Waynes was beaten on a long pass for 51 yards to the same Bryant later in the game. Waynes still has failed to display consistently high level play connected with a first round defensive back.
Pittsburgh controlled the game with nearly 35 minutes in time of possession. Roethlisberger racked up a QB rating of 104.8 and threw for 243 yards and two scores.
Minnesota supposedly came into the season with one of the best defenses in the league. Their play in Pittsburgh exhibited no leadership or dominance at all. When your top quarterback is out, a victory has to be led by the defense. Mike Zimmer’s crew simply did not show up. They produced no turnovers and failed to come away with any big stops. Worse, they committed silly and critical penalties making it much easier on their opponent throughout the afternoon.
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The Vikings fell flat on special teams. They attempted an ill-advised fake punt early in the third quarter. After their first drive of the second half stalled, punter Ryan Quigley attempted a pass to Blake Bell, but it was knocked down by a Steelers defender. This lead to good field position for the Steelers. Subsequently they kicked a field goal to raise their margin to 17 to 3.
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Head coach Mike Zimmer panicked here by trying a fake punt. They were only down 11 and with the stop, it only provided a short field, more points and momentum for the Steelers.
Kicker Kai Forbath may be unemployed soon. For the second consecutive week, he missed an extra point. Many Vikings fans have had their fill of missed kicks over the past year and a bit. This Sunday was no exception.
It is very easy to look at the poor play of Vikings offensive line and Case Keenum as impact reasons for the loss. They only produced 9 points, but they faced an aggressive and hyped Steelers defense before a sellout crowd in the home opener. The Vikings offense was bound to struggle in this contest.
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Following the game, Mike Zimmer did not commit to a starting quarterback for next week. But hey, maybe the Vikings defense will commit to showing up next Sunday. The Vikings host Tampa Bay at US Bank Stadium. Kickoff is noon, central time.