How the Vikings Players to Watch vs. Steelers Fared
Adam New
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Where does one even start with what happened on Thursday night?
There was a completely dominant 1st Half display by the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a 2nd Half implosion. Thankfully, the Vikings came out at the end with a win and moved to a 6-7 record on the season. Through it all, let’s take a look at how my Vikings players to watch fared during Steelers game..
Alexander Mattison
So, it turned out that Dalvin Cook not only did play but was capable of a full workload. While having a career day with 27 rushes for 205 yards at 7.59 yards a carry and two touchdowns, he also hauled in one catch for 17 yards — a phenomenal day’s work by anyone’s standards, made even more impressive by the fact he started the week almost certain not to play. I can at least take solace in being accurate in my assessment of running the ball being key to victory.
As for Alexander Mattison, he got some good early touches and then stepped aside as the Dalvin Cook show unfolded. Mattison finished the game with six rushes for 27 yards at an average of 4.5 yards per rush — efficient running but not much involvement.
Even with Cook playing, I thought Mattison would have had more touches than he did. The early touches suggest that might have been the plan going into the game, but with Cook’s shoulder injury not slowing him down at all, it never materialized.
Michael Pierce
This was the Michael Pierce I was excited to see coming into this season.
He was an absolute force in the middle of the Vikings defensive line and a key reason why the Steelers were shut out in the first half. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 89.6, the highest grade on the team.
PFF also summed his performance up perfectly in their game recap:
“Michael Pierce wrecked the game between Pittsburgh’s guards, finishing Thursday night with three hurries & a sack while forcing Roethlisberger to throw off of unideal platforms throughout the game.”
The work that Pierce has done to elevate his game from simply being a big run stuffer is undoubtedly paying off. His pass-rush grade on Thursday night was a fantastic 90.3. He looks the part of a complete defensive tackle. The Vikings just need to see more of it. Hopefully, his elbow injury is behind him, and he has a solid run of games to finish the season.
Cameron Dantzler
It’s been a strange season for Cameron Dantzler. After his all-rookie season, expectations were reasonably high for the 2020 third-round pick. Mike Zimmer had other ideas, signing three cornerbacks, and putting Dantzler in the doghouse for not being good enough on special teams. It’s led to an inconsistent second season.
Not only did Dantzler not start ahead of Bashaud Breeland as I had hoped, he even played one less defensive snap than Kris Boyd. When he did make it on the field, his performance mirrored the season he has been having — up and down. An important pass deflection was followed by a pass interference penalty at the goal line on the same drive.
I still think he’s the second-best cornerback on the roster – not that the competition is stiff. Solid playing time may give him a boost in confidence and result in the more consistent play that the Vikings need. Though at this point, I’m not confident that will happen.
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