Vikings Pummeled by Pittsburgh in Dublin
Vikings Territory Breakdown Podcast
On Sunday in Dublin, Ireland, the Vikings had a chance to tie or win the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the waning seconds, but they came up short, losing their first regular-season game in Europe by a final score of 24-21. The truth be told, however, they didn’t play well enough to win the game.
The Vikings were beaten in the trenches on both sides of the ball—giving up 131 rushing yards on defense and two turnovers and six sacks on offense. With two more starters from the Vikings’ offensive line, right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee) and center Ryan Kelly (concussion) leaving the game with injuries, the immediate future looks rather bleak for the Purple.
Quarterback Carson Wentz had decent numbers this week (when he wasn’t under duress or sacked to the turf) with 350 yards and two touchdowns passes, but the two interceptions he threw (plus nearly a third) hurt the team’s chances for victory. Just a week after the Vikings blew out the Cincinnati Bengals, the Vikings reverted back to their early-season struggles through much of the game.
The Steelers, with their quarterback Aaron Rodges, have been struggling some this season on offense, but they got the ball out quick in this game and ran over the Vikings’ defense all day long. Pittsburgh was porous in pass defense, with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison amassing 240 yards receiving between themselves. But much of it came late when the Vikings were scrambling back into the game. The Vikings committed two turnovers (those passes were tipped before being picked) and eight penalties for 82 yards, which are still a problem in Week 4.
After the win last week, things were bright on the Purple horizon, but the view darkened quickly. Two winnable games in the early part of a tough schedule have been lost, two new offensive linemen have joined others already on the injured list and the defense is suddenly not the world beaters we imagined. There is so much to discuss. And we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to do just that. Tune in and check it out. Skol!
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