4 reasons why it’s time for the Minnesota Vikings to panic
By Dean Jones
Minnesota’s interior protection is a mess
Anyone that said they weren’t concerned about the interior protection of the Minnesota Vikings before the campaign was either an eternal optimist or flat out lying.
To say this area of the field has underachieved so far even by their low standards would be something of an understatement. They have been porous in pass protection and failed to give Dalvin Cook the holes needed to successfully gain yards between the tackles.
Going into the season with this patchwork group was far from ideal. The Vikings have left themselves in a real predicament that wasn’t aided by Pat Elflein going on reserve/injured, which might have been a blessing in disguise despite their obvious lack of depth.
Make no mistake, this is something that opposing defenses will be attacking prominently in the coming weeks. Garrett Bradbury, Dru Samia, and Dakota Dozier are rotational players on a contending team, let’s tell it like it is, and if Kirk Cousins doesn’t get more time to go through his reads then the Vikings will continue to turn their season around.
It might not be long before rookie Ezra Cleveland is thrust into the limelight. But his lack of involvement so far might indicate he isn’t ready for a prominent starting role.
The fact of the matter is that Minnesota might not have any other choice if things continue as they are. Hopes were low for this group coming in, but the bar might actually be lower than it’s been for some time.