5 most disappointing Vikings from their Week 1 loss to the Packers

Holton Hill – CB

Holton Hill had an absolutely brutal game against the Packers in Week 1. He entered the matchup as one of the few Vikings cornerbacks with any actual NFL experience. But when watching him play on Sunday, one would’ve assumed it was his first time on the field.

Hill always seemed to be two steps behind what Green Bay receiver Davante Adams was doing. He was slow to react to his breaks, leaving Adams plenty of room to make the grab. It was actually a rare occurrence to see Hill in a position to force Adams into a contested-catch situation.

Hill allowed Adams to have a career day, as the Packers star racked up 156 yards and two touchdowns on 14 receptions. The Minnesota corner was able to knock down one pass and force the Packers off the field on 4th-and-goal in the first half. But that was basically his only bright moment in an otherwise very dim and dreadful performance in Week 1.

Hill was bad, but it was surprising that the Vikings allowed the struggling player to stay on the field for a good portion of the game. It’s not like he’s an established star who has earned a long leash.

Minnesota should’ve pulled Hill and let Jeff Gladney or Kris Boyd see if they could do any better against Adams on Sunday. The result could’ve been the same, but at least Hill would’ve gotten a break from getting embarrassed on a snap-by–snap basis.

The Vikings were counting on Hill to be one of the leaders of their cornerback group this year and his first game in that role was a major failure.