Vikings at Rams Game Wrap: No Defense . . . for the Defense
Joe Oberle
|
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from www.purplePTSD writer and editor of purplePTSD and VikingsTerritory, Joe Oberle.
The Vikings lost a shootout at the LA corral, going down in defeat to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night football by a score of 38-31. Jared Goff and his posse of receivers put on their track shoes, racing to 465 yards of passing offense for five touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 rating for Goff. The Vikings hung with them as best they could, but in the end, the Rams defense made the biggest play (a strip sack of quarterback Kirk Cousins) to finish the deal.
The Vikings running game, despite the return of Dalvin Cook, faltered (Cousins was the Vikings leading rusher), the defense was out-schemed and outplayed, and, on a short week, the Purple played an entertaining game but didn’t do near enough to get the win.
Minnesota is now winless in its last three games and have a record of 1-2-1, and now they head to a 2017 NFC Championship rematch next week in Philadelphia. The road doesn’t get any easier, as Carson Wentz has returned to lead the Eagles, but the 10-day break before that game will be welcome for an opportunity to regroup and turn this thing around.
Trending
Quarterback Kirk Cousins played a great game. He turned around the offense from last week when they scored six points in garbage time and put up 31 against one of the best defenses in football. He 36 of 50 for 422 yards and three touchdowns (for a 117.3 rating), but he fumbled on the final drive that could have tied the game when he was stripped of the ball from behind, and that became the fatal blow. Fumbles happened to Cousins last week on the first two drives of the game and it ended early. But this week it came on the last drive and was, unfortunately, the play that ended the game. Cousins is a battler. He needs a running game and a little more protection and he will be alright.
Welcome to the Vikings, Aldrick Robinson! When all we have heard about this team is Diggs and Thielen, Thielen and Diggs, suddenly the new third wideout gets in the game and scores two touchdowns in the first half of the game (on two targets). One of them was an amazing pass by Cousins into a small window. On a night when Laquon Treadwell looked to be trying to hold onto his job (and dropped another pass), Robinson made a real bid for it. Expect to see some changes there.
The Vikings defense was the best unit in the league last season. They have a long way to go to regain that crown. Missed assignments leading to big plays. Poor pass defense leading to big scores. Poor linebacker play, bad schemes. This unit is in total free fall and it costing the team in a big way. Has the rest of the NFL figured out head coach Mike Zimmer’s defense? There is the fact that defenses suffer on the short weeks for Thursday night football, but it sure looks like it when you go back to the second of the new Orleans Saints playoff game last season. So, the Vikings might need to respond with something new, because this is not tenable. We thought in the past the defense needed to catch up to the offense, but it is stating to look the other way now.
Worth Defending
Vikings new place kicker Dan Bailey finally got his opportunity to kick for points for the Vikings , and . . . the first kick, an extra point, went just inside the right upright, while the second, a 37-yard field goal, bounced in off of it. Does someone have a kicker voodoo doll that looks like Zimmer. The coach can’t catch a break with field goal kickers. The third Bailey kick was a little left of center—but, of course, Kevin McDermott, the Vikings long snapper, was out with a pinkie finger injury on that play (tight end David Morgan replaced him). Bailey made that kick and all the rest of them, which was one of the bright spots of the game.
It’s about time we mention Adam Thielen (What? You mean we haven’t?). The dude is something else. Before the game there was a FOX film reel of current Rams and Vikings players talking about former Rams and Vikings players who inspired them in this rivalry in the past. When they showed Thielen, he talked about growing up watching Cris Carter make incredible toe-tapping catches along the sideline and then went out produced one of his own. It was a great grab and one of eight for 135 yards on the game. Thielen left the game to be checked for a concussion after getting a knee to the face, and he returned to catch a 45-yard touchdown pass, which gave the team hope (oh yeah, Stefon Diggs was pretty good: 11 catches for 123 yards). Thielen passed Randy Moss (speaking of another HOF Minnesota receiver) in amassing the most yards in the first four games of a season. Well done, sir. Thielen and Diggs are everything the rest of the country has been talking about. Now if we can just get that running game going.
The offensive line welcomed back center Pat Elflein to the starting rotation and worked well for most of the game. The protection was great early on, including some help from running backs Cook, Latavius Murray and others. But the running game was lacking in a big way once again. Your leading rusher was Cousins with four for 28 yards, leading to a game total 17 for 52. Cousins threw 50 passes, which, for the second week in a row was too many. I give the line a B grade for pass protection (even though it broke down by the end of the game—four sacks) but it gets a D- for the running game. Something has to change.
Should Be Ending
Not a good look for Anthony Barr to see No. 55 in white chasing someone into the endzone (especially in front of the home town fans). The second touchdown was a major mismatch with wide receiver Cooper Cupp running past Barr across the middle and then downfield for the score (we give more credit to Sean McVay than blame to Barr on that one), but Barr’s resume is building and not in the right way. He is in a contract year. He needs to splash like his rookie year. Do we start to wonder whether or not he wants to be here (even though he said he did)?
Xavier Rhodes extended the first Rams drive of the game with a holding penalty—the result was a touchdown. And then right before halftime, Rhodes had another holding penalty and tacked on an unsportsmanlike penalty for kicking the flag—the eventual result, another touchdown and an 11-point lead for the Rams before halftime. I don’t have much more to say other than the Vikings defense is in a bad place right now—for many reasons.
Going for it on fourth down, I like. It worked twice in the first half (two Cousins sneaks). That doesn’t need to be ending. Not knowing whether or not it was time to clock it or call a play in the final second—not so much. That was a gaffe. Not sure if it was the coaching or quarterbacking. Bad clock management needs to be ending.