5 most disappointing Vikings from their Week 6 loss to the Falcons

James Lynch – DT

James Lynch isn’t the typical player who makes a list like this. He’s a fourth-round rookie who was appearing in his second career game and under normal circumstances, not much would be expected from a player in his situation.

Lynch, however, turned some heads with his performance against the Seahawks in Week 5 and many hoped that he’d have another strong performance against the Falcons. The Vikings have been craving an interior pass rusher and after Lynch flashed some ability in that department, it was assumed he’d see a bigger role.

Lynch did see his snap count increase against Atlanta. He had eight snaps in Week 5 and in Week 6 that increased to 13. Even though he saw a few more plays on defense last Sunday, he failed to make the most of his opportunities.

Lynch didn’t register a single stat against the Falcons. He didn’t get close to hitting Matt Ryan and couldn’t even muster a tackle. Instead of powering through blockers like he did in Week 5 when he displayed a beautiful bull rush, he was the one getting outmatched and pushed backward.

Lynch was drafted by Minnesota to be an interior pass rusher and he showed some potential in this department against Seattle. Instead of taking a step forward against a weaker opponent in Week 6, Lynch regressed in his second game, and now he has more questions surrounding him than answers.