I am going to breakdown this frustrating week one loss to the Detroit Lions, but before I do that I need to say something. Vikings fans and Ponder haters, Matt Cassel is NOT the answer.
The first drive the Lions marched down the field on our defense and after a muffed field goal, the Lions came away with zero points. The Vikings first offensive play of the game did what every one thought they were going to do and that was hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson. Adrian broke through the line and was off to the races with a 78 yard touchdown run and the Vikings went up 7-0. Every Vikings fan was excited and I thought Adrian Peterson was going to torch the Lions for 200 plus yards after seeing that first play. Adrian and the Offensive line struggled the rest of the game. From a fantasy perspective AP had a decent game with two rushing and one receiving touchdown, but only finished with 93 rushing yards on 18 carries.
What went wrong? Here is a breakdown of what I thought went wrong and yes I am not an NFL expert!
First key that went wrong in no particular order, is that our offensive line couldn't block or pass protect the Detroit Lions front four. Every time Adrian touched the ball he was 3 or 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Our Offensive line must attack off the line and we had no push on the line. Pass protection was horrible, Christian had very little time in the pocket to make any type of play without getting hit or sacked.
Second, Christian Ponder! Yes everyone wants to put ALL the blame on Ponder and I am not going to say he had a great or even good game, but like I mentioned above it is an offensive problem and not just a Ponder problem. Christian Ponder was flushed out of the pocket and put in many difficult situations yesterday where he did not make plays. Every drive seemed like it started 2nd and 13 or 14 which makes it even more challenging for a Quarterback, but he still needs to rise up and make key plays. Now he did make some decent throws and him and Jerome Simpson had chemistry which is one positive to this offense. Yes, Ponder needs to get better, but it's only the first game so don't panic.
Third, Our Linebackers looked lost out there. Reggie Bush torched the Linebackers and ya it looked like they made a bunch of tackles, but they were all after gaining 6-8 yards. The Linebackers must attack the line and create plays.
Fourth, our Defensive Line didn't get any pressure on Matthew Stafford or stop the run. Jared Allen was the only guy credited with a sack and even Jared didn't create much havoc. The Lions rushed for 117 yards.
Lastly, we got out coached! I think Bill Musgrave should be taking a lot of heat regarding the poor play calling and lack of taking shots downfield with 8-9 guys in the box. Where was Cordarrelle Patterson? Number 84 had one catch for 10 yards and needs to get more touches and playing time. We can't be effective passing the ball without 4 wide receiver sets. Spread out the defense and either take shots deep or setup draw plays with only 6 guys in the box. Leslie Frazier needs to get these guys fired up, I don't care if you are an even keel type of coach! Get angry or have your coordinators get angry.
Overall my Vikings frustrated me yesterday and we had so many opportunities to win this game and blew every opportunity. The Detroit Lions and Reggie Bush torched our Defense and our offense was not clicking. It's only week one and I am not going to panic, but we must focus this week on game plan and create an identity. We did not have an identity yesterday. We have a tough road trip this Sunday vs. another hated division rival Chicago Bears. Let's see how we overcome this loss and get better, that's what I want to see!
Skol Vikings, Owwwwwwwwwww!
Stay tunes for my Preview of Vikings vs. Bears.
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