Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Week 5 vs. New York Giants

More bad things

After talking about the disappointing play of Pat Elflein on offense, it would be unjust not to discuss what is happening with Xavier Rhodes. At one time considered a shutdown corner, “Rhodes Closed” has not lived up to that moniker lately.

The cornerback had three tackles (two solo) with one pass defense on the day, but he looked slow at times and struggled to keep up with the Giants receivers on several occasions. Some of those instances resulted in penalties as well, since Rhodes found himself trailing behind receivers…or on the sidelines after tweaking something on a play.

Here are some other bad things to come out of Week 5 for the Minnesota Vikings:

• It happens too much. Bradbury and Cousins still don’t have the exchange down and it resulted in a couple of botched snaps in this game. It seems to happen all the time, and one of these times it will be in a bigger situation where the outcome of the game is reliant on efficiency.
• Panic in the pocket. It’s understandable that Cousins doesn’t feel comfortable with defenders around him. Protection hasn’t been great for him in the past, but he needs to be able to step up into the pocket with poise instead of hopping around or panicking, which will likely result in a sack.
• It’s raining flags. Mike Zimmer will be stressing discipline this week after penalties really hurt the Vikings against the Giants. An astounding 12 penalties were accepted against Minnesota in the game, setting them back 112 yards. It can be tough to win a game when you regularly give away yards…especially you, Everson Griffen, who always seems to jump offsides at least once a week.
• Capitalizing on opportunities. There were a few occasions where Minnesota could have had a takeaway, but instead, the ball fell to the ground. Mike Hughes could have intercepted two passes in this game, but couldn’t haul either one in. The good thing is that both were due to great coverage, so he will likely get more opportunities to pick off passes.

What do you think were the best and worst things from the game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants in Week 5? And what other good and bad things did you notice? Let us know in the comments!