Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Sam Bradford (8) during the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard (24) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr (55), linebacker Eric Kendricks (54) and defensive end Danielle Hunter (99) during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
The Bad Things
Stopping the run. Jordan Howard had another huge game against this Vikings offense. Minnesota has struggled in this category all season, but Howard seems to always take full advantage and put up massive numbers when facing the boys in purple.
17 drive play. No, I didn’t type that wrong. That is what the announcer said. But it is true. Minnesota did allow a bad Bears offense to march down the field in small pieces to score a touchdown on a drive that was WAY longer than any drive should have been.
18 seconds. What is it with this Vikings team and giving up huge plays with very little time left before the end of a half or the end of a game? There is no reason the Bears should have any points from a drive going into halftime with just 18 seconds to go…and this is something Zimmer will need to work on going forward.
Offensive tackle depth. When T.J. Clemmings went down with an injury, I assumed Sirles was going to move to the left side and they would plug someone in on the right side. NOPE! I was wrong. In comes Rashod Hill, the free agent signing that was on the Jacksonville practice squad.
Adam Thielen didn’t reach 1,000 yards. Coming into this game, Thielen needed only 40 yards to pass that mark. Sadly, he wasn’t targeted enough to get that kind of yardage. It would have been great to see this happen for the young man, but there’s always next year, right?
