Minnesota Vikings vs St. Louis Rams: Week 9 game review
By Adam Carlson
Nov 8, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) laughs as he prepares to play the St. Louis Rams at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
The Bad
- Missed deep opportunities. Bridgewater seems a little gun-shy to take the deep pass. And then when he does, he conservatively overthrows his receivers. Hopefully as he keeps playing, he’ll get more comfortable with situations like that…but for now it’s hard to see the missed chances.
- Ending drives for silly reasons. The Vikings had some bad luck in the first half. Teddy would have had a nice pass to Wright if not for an uncalled holding penalty. Plus, a badly run route by Wallace resulted in a big miss on 3rd down. It’s things like that which can really turn around a game.
- Timing on taking shots down the field. Ball placement is everything. You can’t throw the ball inside the defender and expect your guy to get to it. Stefon Diggs had no real chance at that deep ball and it put the pass in a spot where Trumaine Johnson had the best chance to get it. Not good.
- Bridgewater’s connection with Mike Wallace. The two have never seemed to be on the same page. Minnesota’s high-priced wide receiver hasn’t been much more than a decoy this season, seemingly struggling to develop chemistry with his quarterback. Hopefully, that will come…but it’s been rough to watch.
- Just too darned many injuries. We’ll talk a little more about “injuries” in the next couple sections, but losing Bridgewater for the game due to a concussion and, even more devastating, losing Audie Cole for the year with a fractured ankle. Other players suffered minor injuries during the game, but those losses on the field can take their toll.
Next: The Confusing