3 Vikings scapegoats from their Week 1 loss to the Bucs
By Clay Vasquez
Viking No. 3
Ivan Pace Jr. - ILB
Vikings rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. made a borderline bad play this past Sunday and he has been receiving some harsh criticism for his decision.
Should Pace have gone 100 percent at Baker Mayfield on the pivotal third-down conversion? Yes, absolutely. But the undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati made a rookie mistake in his first career game.
Though it came at the biggest moment in the contest, it's hard to ask such a fresh player to get it perfect their first time out.
Outside of that bad play, Pace had himself an otherwise stellar debut for Minnesota. He recorded a 90.0 PFF pass-rush grade as a linebacker, leading the entire NFL for linebackers in that category. Not too shabby for a rookie, right?
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It's unfortunate that Pace's bad play is dimming the light on his performance, but there is no question that he'll learn and improve.
Instead of breaking down the promising rookie, Vikings fans should show that he still has their unwavering support. He showed a lot of flashes outside of that play to prove that he's got a bright future ahead of him.
Next. 4 worst Vikings from the team's Week 1 loss to the Bucs. 4 worst Vikings from the team's Week 1 loss to the Bucs. dark