Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Week 16 vs. Green Bay Packers

More bad things

Hopes were that Mike Boone could step in and do enough on the ground and in the passing game to at least move the chains a few times in the place of running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison this week.

Sadly, he was very ineffective. The offensive line got dominated and Boone rushed for only 2.5 yards per carry on his 11 attempts, gaining only 28 yards with his longest run being for only seven yards.

Boone only saw one target in the passing game. He did manage to haul it in, but it only went for five yards. His involvement in the game was hugely disappointing and has to make fans wonder if the Vikings offense really is horrible without Cook to lean on.

Here are some other bad things to come out of Week 16 for the Minnesota Vikings:

• Where did he go? David Bakhtiari is an excellent offensive tackle, but the Vikings have invested far too much in Everson Griffen to have him disappear during a game. He was blanked for sacks, rarely got much pressure, and registered only two tackles on the day.
• More starters going down. Going into this game down two running backs is bad, but having to substitute all three starting linebackers against the Packers isn’t good at all. Minnesota can’t afford injuries at this time, especially since they are a playoff team.
• Locked in. Before this game, the Vikings had an opportunity to move up as far as the second seed in the NFC playoff picture. This loss confirms they will be on the road for the entirety of the playoffs, which nullifies any advantage the team has at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Next week should be a weird one. Minnesota has nothing to play for, so many players for the Minnesota Vikings could be sat against the Chicago Bears. However, it would be nice to see the purple and gold get back on track heading into the postseason.