Written by Chris Schad
It was a beautiful day at TCF Bank Stadium and the atmosphere surrounding the Minnesota Vikings’ home opener against the New England Patriots had the feeling that something good was about to happen. After destroying the St. Louis Rams 34-6 a week ago, the fans felt that if the Vikings could beat an elite team like the Patriots, it would be a statement that would send “Zimmermania” and to full-throttle euphoria.
What a difference a week makes.
The Vikings never got a chance after a beautiful opening drive and the Patriots thrashed the Vikings 30-7 for the first loss (official or unofficial) in the Mike Zimmer era. With Adrian Peterson deactivated for an indictment of a child abuse charge, all eyes were once again focused on the quarterback position.
After a solid preseason and season-opening victory, Matt Cassel threw four interceptions on the day. None of his throws seemed to be on target and the Patriots had an answer for the Vikings all day long. Almost instinctively, the “Teddy” chants began and the Vikings had to repeat the company line of how they won’t rush Teddy Bridgewater onto the playing field.
After all, why would they want to throw him in this trainwreck?
Zimmer stated during the preseason that it had to be a perfect storm of sorts to see Bridgewater earn the starting job. Even if he did outplay Cassel in the preseason, there were other factors that would go into his decision to start the rookie out of Louisville.
For example, if the offensive line couldn’t protect the quarterback, there’s a good chance that Bridgewater could wind up on his back enough to destroy his confidence.
On Sunday, the Vikings offensive line couldn’t protect Cassel. While Cassel was chucking up interceptions, Matt Kalil was getting dominated by Chandler Jones, who wound up with a pair of sacks and a blocked field goal he returned for a touchdown right before halftime that seemingly put the game away.
After a dismal beginning to the season, Kalil ranks 63rd among all tackles in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. However, even Zimmer would have to agree that Kalil has been atrocious in protecting the blind side in the past two games. This issue has affected what the Vikings can run offensively with Cassel being the first quarterback since 2006 to not complete multiple passes over ten yards downfield in a team’s first two games..
With Cameron Jordan and Clay Matthews lurking on the schedule, it’s not the time to put the future of the franchise under center — especially without their star running back.
Will that mean the Vikings will go into a tailspin with Cassel at the controls the next couple of weeks? It’s possible. But it also means that Zimmer is going to ride him until the rest of the team gets their act together.
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Chris Schad contributes to 105 The Ticket and has had his work featured on the Bleacher Report and Yahoo Contributor Network. He serves as the Vikings Lead Writerfor Pro Football Spot. Find him on Twitter @crishad. |