Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Week 12 vs. Carolina Panthers

More Bad Things

It would be easy to lump together the entire third quarter and just say that is the bad part of this game, but there are some things the Minnesota Vikings really didn’t do well during this game that hurt them going forward.

The three turnovers are the obvious things that would prevent the team from getting a win during this game, but here are some other notable events from the game that must be addressed.

Other bad things from Week 12

• Special teams. Minnesota deactivated K.J. Osborn for this game and had Chad Beebe replace him as the punt returner. As stated earlier, this resulted in a turnover late in the game. Plus, long snapper Austin Cutting was deactivated in favor of Andrew DePaola in hopes of more consistency. The miscues this season on special teams need to stop.
• Lucky breaks. There were several opportunities where Panthers’ receivers should have caught the football but oddly came up with big drops. Minnesota’s defense needs to be tighter and smarter, especially with young defensive backs in the lineup.
• Tackling struggles. Bringing down Mike Davis can be tough, but the Vikings had some good chances to take him down on first contact and just couldn’t do it. Plus, the Vikings were getting pressure on Teddy Bridgewater, but came away empty in terms of sacks.
• Third-down efficiency. The Vikings had 14 chances to convert on third-down but were only able to convert six of them. It was frustrating watching the ball get thrown so short of the first down marker and then see the team punt it away. If the Vikings want to control the time of possession and sustain drives, that will need to change.

What did you think were the best and worst moments from the Minnesota Vikings. And what else was notable from their Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers? Let us know your opinion in the comments.