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: Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings drops back to pass in the first half during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on September 17, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /
The Interesting Stuff
The Sam Bradford effect. It’s strange to say it, but this just isn’t the same offense without Bradford. The quick, efficient passes combined with a strong arm are hard to replicate. And sadly, Case Keenum doesn’t quite have the same kind of skillset.
Running out the first half. When you’re down two possessions and have 47 seconds with some timeouts, you should at least run some offense. It’s understandable that the offense isn’t clicking, but that doesn’t mean to not try.
Rhonde Barber and Kenny Albert. This commentary team is really hard to listen to. While I don’t doubt that Barber is knowledgeable, he struggles to express that what Albert’s play-by-play is choppy and inconsistent. Hopefully, Minnesota doesn’t draw this combo much more in the future.
The cornerback changeup. Trae Waynes struggled mightily in this game and Terence Newman matched up poorly against speedy players. Still, it’s never good to see a former first-round draft pick on the sidelines watching when he should be able to contribute.
Commercial-kickoff-commercial. The NFL said there would be less of this during the 2017 NFL season, but you wouldn’t know that by watching the FOX broadcast of the game. At least now I know really well that Netflix comes with T-Mobile since I heard that at least 20 times today.
