Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Week 1 vs. Atlanta Falcons
By Adam Carlson
The worst thing
During a game where there isn’t much to pick apart and criticize, there was one area where Mike Zimmer is likely to talk to his team and show some film. That particular place is when the play clock is ticking down and the defense is trying to time the snap to get off the line.
There were three occasions where the Vikings were trying to get that snap count down and ended up giving Atlanta a first down instead. Those penalties are big because it is an opportunity to get the opposition off the field and instead they get a new batch of downs to move the ball.
A high-octane offense like the Falcons doesn’t need more opportunities to score or move the chains. Although the Vikings defense was looking good during this game, there is no reason to give your opposition freebies.
Everson Griffen, Hercules Mata’afa, and Shamar Stephen were all guilty of this during the game and penalties are always an area where Mike Zimmer shows little patience as a head coach. Those defensive linemen will get talked to about this and that is definite.