Minnesota Vikings First Quarter Review: What we’ve learned so far
By Chris Schad
The offensive line was the disaster we thought it would be
Back in training camp, the signs were there that the offensive line would be the weak link of this team. Even after the tragic passing of Tony Sparano, the Vikings would lose Nick Easton for the season right before the annual training camp scrimmage. Those two events sent Minnesota scrambling for offensive line help and things have been shaky ever since.
Free agent acquisitions from a year ago in Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers haven’t had the same impact they had a year ago. Outside of ineffectiveness and playing out of position, the Vikings have also struggled at right tackle where Rashod Hill somehow has kept his job over Remmers and second-round pick Brian O’Neill.
The good news is that Tom Compton has been OK at left guard and center Pat Elflein made his way back from two offseason surgeries to take his starting spot back against the Rams. Still, the Vikings have been one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL and have shown moments (like the entire Buffalo game) where they can’t protect Kirk Cousins.
If the Vikings offense is truly going to take the next step, they’re going to need to solidify the offensive line sooner rather than later.