5 biggest turkeys for the Minnesota Vikings this season

Pat Elflein

If Pat Elflein was a Thanksgiving food he’d definitely be cranberry sauce because he sucks. It’s so disheartening because Elflein was so good his rookie season. After an injury-plagued 2018, this was supposed to be his comeback season and the move to guard was going to be what springboarded him back to being the elite blocker he was in year one. That just hasn’t happened yet and Elflein gets plowed through like Thanksgiving leftovers on a drunken Friday night.

No matter how bad this turkey is week in and week out, the Vikings haven’t even attempted to pull him out for even a portion of a game. They haven’t made him accountable for his poor play and allow it to continue. They have options to try out there.

They could activate rookie Dru Samia, could move Dakota Dozier over to left guard, or even give Aviante Collins a shot. These guys can’t be much worse than Elflein and maybe if he gets benched for a game it’ll light a fire under him that brings him back to his 2017 form.

Who knows why Pat Elflein has struggled so badly this season. Maybe he isn’t fully healthy or he lost confidence after his extended recovery from his surgeries. Whatever the reason, there is no doubt he is one of the biggest turkeys on this roster, and one that defenses continue to feast upon every single Sunday.