The Bad
- Unimpressive offensive line play. Andre Smith got taken advantage of by his former teammates and Matt Kalil doesn’t look like a guy worthy of his salary this year. The interior line seemed to hold their own, but this can’t be the offensive line the Vikings put on the field this season.
- Run defense is suspect. Not having Linval Joseph in the game was VERY noticeable. The interior of the line lacked that nastiness that is usually there when Floyd and Joseph are present. On the other hand, the hype train surrounding Shamar Stephen may need to pump the brakes a bit.
- That first quarter offense. ONE yard in the first quarter? ONE? I know the offense only got one series during that first quarter because the defense struggled to stop the Bengals, but on paper that statistic looks REALLY bad. Like…really, really bad. Bad enough to make you wonder what the heck is going on!
- Sloppy punt return skills. Giving up that big touchdown return was hard to watch. Vikings players were bumping into each other, taking horrible angles, and overall just making holes that weren’t necessarily there. And if you were watching coach Zimmer on the sidelines, you know they’re going to get a firm talking to.
- Coverage on crossing routes. This is getting a bit nitpicking, but later in the game some of the 2nd and 3rd string guys were getting easily lost on crossing or drag routes, giving up some big yardage. Without safety help there, many of these plays could have gone for even longer distances.
Next: THE INTERESTING