6 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss to the Bucs in Week 1
By Adam Carlson
Vikings Takeaway No. 5
It's hard to win when you can't protect the ball
It doesn't matter how many yards you can put up when you can't finish drives with points. The Minnesota Vikings turned the ball over three times, with one of them being a throw that could have resulted in a K.J. Osborn touchdown.
The completely unforced accidental strip of Kirk Cousins by Ed Ingram was another disheartening play that had absolutely no reason for happening. The panic from Ingram after the snap says everything we need to know about that play.
Another Cousins fumble came in the first quarter when a Buccaneers defender blitzed and got a clear path to the quarterback. The ball came loose, and a Tampa Bay player recovered, giving them the ball inside the red zone.
Minnesota will have to protect the ball as well as their quarterback much better if they want to be competitive this season. Winning games when losing the turnover differential by 3 is incredibly difficult and shouldn't be a situation the team is in anyway.