MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 22: Anthony Barr #55 of the Minnesota Vikings sacks Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter of the game on October 22, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 22: Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings calls a play at the line of scrimmage in the first half of the game agains the Baltimore Ravens on October 22, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
The negatives from Week 7 vs Ravens
You can’t tip the ball up twice. I’m all for trying some deep passes to Treadwell, but bad things will happen when the ball is tipped up by an offensive player. Can’t give the defense too many chances at the ball, especially when you’re trying to prove yourself for more playing time.
Moving the ball. While the Ravens aren’t a bad squad defensively, I don’t think anyone expected Minnesota to struggle so much early on. Sure, an interception on the first drive set a bad tone, but the Vikings took a long time to recover and still didn’t see the red zone often enough.
More silly penalties. A false start on Laquon Treadwell, offsides on Everson Griffen, and an unnecessary roughness call on Andrew Sendejo were the big mental mistakes made by the Vikings, even though a roughing the passer call on Tom Johnson got attention, the Treadwell one hurt the most because of the field positioning.
Killer instinct. I know I say it often, but I’d love to see the Vikings want to put away games instead of sitting on leads and play it safe. I get that playing it safe is smart, but there is something to be said for crushing another’s team’s hopes instead of giving them opportunities.
Keenum struggling to move the ball. The Vikings quarterback didn’t have the usual zip and accuracy on his passes this game. He seemed a bit out of rhythm but had some help from his receivers to keep the Vikings in contention.
