How did the first year players for the Minnesota Vikings perform during week 2 of the NFL season against the Steelers in Pittsburgh?
One of the most important parts in putting together a great team is drafting well and developing those players into becoming huge assets for the franchise. This is true for the Minnesota Vikings, who have 3 rookie starters on their team this season.
During Week 2, the Vikings hit the road to face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh’s strong offense and swarming defense proved to be too much for Minnesota, but there were some solid rookie performances during the game.
Here are the rookies who played in this game as well as how they played during the contest:
Dalvin Cook, running back
Cook put together a solid game, gaining 64 yards on just 12 carries. That average of 5.3 yards per rushing attempt against the Steelers is impressive considering how many bodies were being used at the line of scrimmage in the game.
Cook didn’t do as well in the passing game. He missed an important block and dropped a screen pass, but did catch two passes for a total of no gain.
Pro Football Focus gave Cook a score of 79.0 for the game, mostly because of his effectiveness in the run game. Football Guys says he played only 37 snaps in Week 2 compared to 51 in Week 1.
Ben Gedeon, linebacker
Honestly, when watching this game Gedeon didn’t stand out in a positive or a negative way. While normally blending into a game isn’t a great thing, for a rookie that can mean not making silly mistakes or being out of position as well.
Gedeon ended the day with 3 total tackles, two of those being solo. He should continue to be used in this role and should be seen as an efficient, but not flashy, starting linebacker for the Vikings going forward.
Football Guys says Gedeon played 18 snaps this week compared to 16 last week.
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Pat Elflein, center
In Week 1, Elflein looked like a monster. He was looking for contact, making big blocks, and getting very physical. This week, the Steelers made the entire Vikings offensive line look bad.
It didn’t help that Elflein was next to Nick Easton, who may have turned in his worst performance as a pro. Pittsburgh threw a lot of pressure at the right guard, confusing the linemen and often overloading that side of the line.
Still, no reason to panic for the Vikings, since Elflein still shows the potential to be a solid center for many years to come.
Eric Wilson, linebacker
Special teams are where a lot of players get their foot in the door, and Wilson has been doing just that. While he won’t be lighting up the score sheets and there were times that the special teams units looked bad this week, the blame for that shouldn’t be placed on Wilson, who found a way to contribute despite not playing a single defensive snap.
Next: Top 4 takeaways from Week 2 vs Steelers
What did you think of the play from the Minnesota Vikings rookies in Week 2 of the NFL season against the Pittsburgh Steelers? Leave your opinions in the comments section below.