4 biggest disappointments from the Vikings loss to the Bucs in Week 1

Disappointment No. 1

Lack of rhythm in the passing game

The Vikings' passing offense was their strong suit last year, and it should be again in 2023. This team is loaded with talent on that side of the ball, and with superstar Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, K.J. Osborn, and promising rookie Jordan Addison, it is one that should never go three and out.

Kirk Cousins's final stat line looks good with 344 passing yards, but it was a passing attack that looked off the majority of the game.

Cousins was checking down so often it felt like Klint Kubiak was calling the plays again for Minnesota. It only got humming when Cousins started throwing the ball down the field to Jefferson.

Even then, the Vikings failed to go back to what was working in the second half, again opting for weird dump-offs behind the line of scrimmage and targeting C.J. Ham far too often.

It's unclear if these were the plays that were called or if Cousins was just sick of taking all those hits and looking to get the ball out quickly.

This definitely wasn't the Kevin O'Connell passing game that we've grown accustomed to. Last year, it was an offense that wasn't afraid to attack, and today, while there were flashes of that, the rhythm was off, and it just felt different.

Maybe there was some rust from not playing in the preseason, but putting up just 17 points against the Bucs isn't just disappointing; it's unacceptable.