Written by Chris Schad
Back in August, there was little doubt that if the Minnesota Vikings were going to make a playoff run, it would be because of their offense. It was hard to argue with this as the Vikings boasted several blossoming stars in Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Rudolph while gaining the prowess of one of the greatest offensive coordinators in league history in Norv Turner.
With an offensive line that helped Adrian Peterson run for 2,098 yards two seasons ago, there was a general feeling that the offense could keep up with their division rivals if the defense had a slight improvement.
After all, after allowing a franchise record 498 points, there was plenty of work to do if the Vikings were going to become a defensive oriented team. To many, it was going to take time for Zimmer to have his desired effect.
As the Vikings walked off the field following a 17-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, one can’t help but notice how the script has been flipped.
Despite giving up a gut-wrenching, last-second touchdown to Sammy Watkins, the Vikings had a great day defensively as they forced four turnovers and racked up six sacks for the fiercest pass rush since their Week 1 win over the St. Louis Rams.
While the defense was able to do their job for a majority of the game, the Vikings offense wasn’t as advertised. Because of sacks, turnovers and a lack of clutch plays, Minnesota couldn’t close out the Bills and settled for four field goals from Blair Walsh.
“Field goals won’t win games.” Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater told the media after the game. “We have to be able to finish drives.”
Finishing drives was a disturbing theme for the Vikings as the Vikings went 5-for-16 on third downs and threw another pair of interceptions thanks to another abysmal effort by the offensive line with five sacks allowed on the afternoon. Of course, Bridgewater wasn’t going to throw anybody under the bus.
“It starts with me.” Bridgewater admitted. “I have to play faster, eliminate the negative plays and give us a chance while we’re down there. I think I went back to old training camp days of trying to be perfect in every area, instead of just trusting my God-given ability and trusting the offense and trusting the system.”
While Bridgewater’s flaws are to be expected for a rookie quarterback, perhaps it’s the system that deserves some of the blame. Yes, the Vikings couldn’t prepare themselves for injuries, suspensions or sudden regressions, but they can do something about trying to shoehorn players into their roles. A prime example of this is the decline of Patterson, who had another quiet day with two catches and nine yards (although one of his receptions was a four-yard touchdown).
Great coaches will find a way to put their players in positions to succeed by focusing on their strengths rather than bickering about their weaknesses. While the coaches want Patterson to be a complete receiver that can run flawless routes, he’s not at that stage of his career at this moment.
It could be something that’s going on across the offense as they try to figure out how to put points on the board, but it’s starting to show that Norv and company aren’t getting the job done.
Excluding the Week 4 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings have visited the end zone just three times in five games since Peterson was suspended over his child abuse case. For a divisional comparison, the Green Bay Packers scored three touchdowns roughly 13 minutes into their victory over the Carolina Panthers.
The defense is starting to do their job, now if only the offense can live up to the hype.
 |
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. |