Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Week 14 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
By Adam Carlson
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The first quarter of this game was great for the Minnesota Vikings but things went downhill from there. With the exception of a few plays here and there, the purple and gold struggled to get things going in the final three quarters of play.
Still, there were some things that Vikings fans can take away from this game despite the loss being so detrimental to the team’s postseason chances.
Other good things from Week 14
- Dominating time of possession. The Vikings nearly doubled up their time of possession against Tampa Bay, putting together some long drives and controlling the ball for 39:03 of the 60 minutes.
- Good stuff when NOT kicking. When confidence was completely lost in Dan Bailey, Minnesota actually found some success. The team converted four of their five tries on fourth down and successfully picked up a two-point conversion.
- Rushing the ball well. Despite going against the number one run defense in the NFL, Minnesota picked up a total of 162 yards on the ground. Tampa Bay only gives up 3.3 yards per carry but the Vikings averaged 4.9 yards per run. Plus, Cook’s 100-yard game was the first time a running back went over the century mark against the Buccaneers.
- Standing in there. Major credit goes out to Kirk Cousins. Last week, the Vikings quarterback was hit 14 times against the Jaguars and this week saw the Buccaneers add a dozen more. With such a lack of pass protection, it’s shocking Cousins went 24-for-37 for 225 yards and a touchdown while being sacked six times.