The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their road tour in Europe on Sunday by playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland. While the purple and gold had the momentum of a lopsided home win over the Bengals in Week 3 on their side, the team failed to get a victory.
The 21-24 loss by the Vikings wasn't as close as the score made it look. Pittsburgh dominated most of the game. While Minnesota attempted a late comeback, it wasn't enough to overcome the solid play of the Steelers and miscues throughout the game.
Injuries also played a major part for the Vikings in this game. Coming into Week 4, Minnesota was already beat up, but they suffered even more injuries during this game that could have a big impact on the next few weeks.
Although this was a hugely disappointing performance, some players deserve credit for their play on Sunday, while others seem destined to take responsibility for the struggles in front of the Irish crowd. Let's take a look at some of those players.
The Minnesota Vikings struggled mightily against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland, leading to a Week 4 loss.
Vikings winner No. 1: Jordan Addison, wide receiver
The Minnesota Vikings have missed Jordan Addison in their offense. Although they traded for Adam Thielen and used a draft pick on Tai Felton, the team can get a lot of mileage out of having a speedy, young pass catcher on the outside.
Although he only had four receptions in this game, he made them count. Addison racked up 114 yards and nearly found the end zone on a wide-open deep bomb from Carson Wentz when the Steelers' defense seemed to lose him in coverage.
Vikings loser No. 1: Carson Wentz, quarterback
Carson Wentz did some positive things for the Vikings on Sunday. He threw for 350 yards and two touchdowns despite three backups blocking for him on the offensive line in this game. However, there is plenty to be frustrated about, too.
Wentz's passes seemed to be a little off target all day, as evidenced by his two interceptions. The protection from the offensive line forced him into uncomfortable situations, resulting in him being sacked six times and fumbling once.
Vikings winner No. 2: Jalen Redmond, defensive line
As a whole, the Minnesota defense was frustrating. They gave up 131 yards on the ground and allowed Aaron Rodgers to complete 18 of his 22 passes. However, defensive lineman Jalen Redmond continued to show why he has become a fan favorite.
Redmond only had three tackles on the day, but he made those three takedowns count. Two of those tackles were sacks of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And he accounted for two-thirds of Minnesota's sacks on the day.
Vikings loser No. 2: Jordan Mason, running back
It looked like Jordan Mason was going to be the key to success against a team that has struggled to defend the run. But the 26-year-old running back wasn't nearly as effective as most experts expected him to be in this game.
Pittsburgh held him to 57 yards on 16 carries and kept him out of the end zone while limiting him to three catches for 15 yards. Add in his fumble, and you have a day that the young running back would likely want to forget.
Vikings winner No. 3: Justin Jefferson, wide receiver
Early in this game, it looked like Carson Wentz was going to force-feed Justin Jefferson all day. The Minnesota Vikings quarterback targeted him 11 times in the game, and the superstar pass-catcher hauled in 10 of them.
He led the purple and gold in receiving yards with 126 yards, but struggled to be part of the team's offense in the second half. If the Vikings hope to win more games this year, he will need to be a consistent part of Minnesota's offense.