Schmidt’s Week 2 game grades: Minnesota Vikings vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Vikings’ defensive grade: C-
The Vikings defense had a challenge trying to stop one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. Minnesota corner Xavier Rhodes had the biggest challenge of the day trying to slow down the Steelers’ Antonio Brown, who is the best wide receiver in the league.
Rhodes stepped up to the occasion and really took Brown out of the passing game for most of the day. Rhodes didn’t let Brown get behind him or hurt him after the catch. Rhodes was the bright spot in the Vikings secondary.
As for the other guys in the secondary, it was a different story. Terence Newman‘s age showed up when he got burned by Martavis Bryant on a 27-yard touchdown pass. Bryant would also expose another cornerback of the Vikings named Trae Waynes. Waynes allowed Bryant to get behind him on what was a free play because the Vikings jumped offsides. That play resulted in 51-yard completion.
The defensive line did not create a lot of pressure on Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. They only got to him twice. Roethlisberger was comfortable in the pocket and was able to survey the defense has he threw for two touchdowns and 243 yards.
However, the front seven did a good job of keeping Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell in check, as he finished with 87 rushing yards. The Vikings only allowed him to rush 3.2 yards a carry. And they didn’t allow the big home-run carry, as his longest gain was only for 11 yards.
Overall, the Vikings’ defense held an explosive offense in check and played solid, but the penalties were too much and caused them to give up some points. Minnesota defensive lineman Brian Robison was drawn offsides on a fourth down which allowed the Steelers to get a fresh set of downs and later score on that drive.
The second scoring drive by the Steelers was helped by a Vikings penalty also, as Waynes was called for pass interference. It was a 49-yard penalty that put the Steelers in the red zone and they would eventually score their second touchdown of the game.