3 most disappointing Vikings in the loss to the Saints

CB Jeff Gladney

Jeff Gladney has had a very solid rookie season for the Vikings, but his game against the Saints is not one that he’s going to want to remember moving forward. Gladney struggled mightily to tackle basically any Saint that came his way, which was an odd sight for someone who has shown to be a solid tackler up to this point.

Whether it was Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, or that Callaway scrub, Gladney would either flat out whiff on his tackle or lose hold of them after making decent initial contact. Maybe he was just too sweaty or had some new shiny sleeves that were extra slick, but whatever the reason, Gladney was not making the tackles he usually does. This led to plenty of big gains for the Saints and was a major reason why they never had to punt.

Gladney’s coverage was also shaky. The Saints didn’t target Cameron Dantzler all that much and instead went after Gladney. He allowed plenty of cushion to the Saints receivers that came his way and they had a lot of success throwing at number 20. Jeff Gladney has been solid this season and his future is bright, but this Christmas Day game against the Saints was not one of the finest moments of his rookie year.