PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 17: C.J. Ham #30 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with Kyle Rudolph #82 after rushing for a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on September 17, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 17: Martavis Bryant #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers makes a catch between two Minnesota Vikings defenders in the second half during the game at Heinz Field on September 17, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /
The Bad Things
Jumping on 4th and 1 in enemy territory. Brian Robison is usually the veteran who doesn’t make that kind of mistakes, but he really hurt the Vikings by jumping offsides and giving Pittsburgh a new set of first downs when they likely weren’t going to snap the ball anyway.
Matching up against speed. It’s no secret that Xavier Rhodes isn’t 100%. That meant Waynes would get more looks against Antonio Brown. Sadly, that also meant Terence Newman would match up more against Martavius Bryant, which is bad after struggling with Ted Ginn last week.
Fake punt. Being lucky to be down only 11 at halftime, the Vikings got risky in their own territory and tried a pass from Quigley on 4th down instead of a punt. As you could probably expect, it went horribly and gave the Steelers great field position.
Extra points. Kai Forbath is solid on field goals, but those extra points have been a real problem for him. He has now missed one in both games this season and missed 3 in his 7 games for the Vikings last year. Not sure what the issue is, but it’s mind boggling.
FLAGS EVERYWHERE! Undisciplined football is enough to make any fan furious. Every single aspect of the game saw penalties that should have been textbook plays. There is no chance that Mike Zimmer will let these mistakes slide when in the film room following this game.
