In my age group, there are a lot of Steelers fans.  Luckily, I avoided them this past week and made no bets on this game.  Here are my miscellaneous thoughts:

• Penalty Diagnostics:  I would assume some team/media company/diagnostics site has calculate how much a penalty (either by the defense or offense) affects the chance of success or failure for a given drive.  I think this game would be a perfect example how a single penalty on a drive will have a great impact on the success of the drive.  This is especially true when you are playing a backup at QB -- one holding penalty must reduce the success rate hugely; alternatively, one pass interference (or off sides on 4th down), greatly improves the success rate.  3rd or 4th down defensive penalties are probably the single most detrimental penalties in the game.  I am sure someone has calculated this (since they have a running likelihood of winning state running in real time on ESPN) and I wish they would show this to the Vikings.  I think Easton killed a couple of drives by himself.
• Officiating:  I thought is was a really poorly officiated game.  Take for example the two reviews of possible catches along the sidelines.  As I watched the Steelers' catch, I saw no telltale signs of the foot actually dragging in bounds.  On artificial turf you will see the rubber balls pop-up and on natural grass you should be able to see the drag line in the grass.  I saw neither (though I assume it was natural turf).  Now compare it to Diggs.  Without looking at whether he had control while in bounds, if you watch and look, you can see the drag line of his foot in the turf.  Likewise, I don't know how you overturn Cooks TD if you don't have a camera positioned directly down the line (maybe the NFL has that and we don't get to see it).  Otherwise, you need to do some fancy math to determine that the on field crew was incorrect.  Finally, on the fake punt, that was pass interference, the dback clearly had his arm around the receiver's back.
• Speed:  Both defenses impressed me with their speed.  The Steelers couldn't get anything to the edge.  
• Age v. Athleticism:  According to PFF, 3 of the top rated Steelers were Olinemen: Gilbert (T), Foster (G) and DeCastro (G).  Now,  Griffen was a beast and I thought Joseph played well (I am always impressed by how well he pursues plays away from himself).  However, I think Robison and Tom Johnson (3 tackles and no quarterback hits between them on 101 snaps collectively -- Stephens had 3 tackles on 35 defensive snaps) made the interior of the Steelers line look great.  Now, perhaps Johnson and Robison are fulfilling their duties better than some younger players on the roster but Robison certainly didn't show his wily ol' veteran savvy on that 4th down play.  I think you are going to hear more and more fans calling for Jaleel Johnson to get some play.  Frankly, I wonder whether players who are clearly on their last season are going to play with the abandon of a young buck -- or whether the whole concussion thought may affect their play.  If Johnson and Robison are not bringing veteran savvy to the field, maybe it is time to go younger.
• Defense Vanillaness:  Does it feel to you that the Vikings are still holding some of their defensive packages/blitzes in their back pocket?  Through two games, I am not sure I have seen a single double a gap blitz.  I am wondering whether Zimmer is being more judicious in his use of blitz in order to save some for later in the year.  
• Steelers Response:  One thing I thought I noticed was the Steelers shortened their huddles part way through the second quarter (correct me if I am wrong).  Roethlisberger still used most of his allotted time but used it at the line of scrimmage to read the defense and audible out of plays.  It was almost Peyton Manning-ish.  Maybe this proves my point about to be invalid but I thought it was interesting and I wonder whether, give this, the Vikes were showing their true plan (zone v. man2man, etc.) too early in the play clock.  I thought it was a smart change by the Steelers and allowed them to get into better plays more often.
• Forbath:  Really?  Wouldn't you practice your PA everyday of the week until you can do them in your sleep?
• Vikings PEE (Player Exceeding Expectations).  Rhodes.  I know this is a strange choice but I think it is because of the telecast -- usually they don't focus on Rhodes because the QB is always throwing elsewhere but because of the match up, they covered him a lot on TV.  It also is startling seeing him cover a received as compared to Waynes.  My respect for Rhodes grew a lot today (and it still looked like he was hampered a little by his injury).

http://vikefans.com/vikefans-recap-of-st...inz-field/

















A View from the Heinz Field






When the final gun sounded to end the game in Pittsburgh, Viking
fans were left wondering, “how did we get blown-out so badly, after looking
like a Super Bowl contender against the Saints”? 


Well, there are two answers to that:


1)  
The Vikings were in the game vs the Steelers the
entire way, until, eventually, in the fourth quarter, they simply could not
overcome their own penalty-filled ways to steal a win with a backup QB, and


2)  
The Saints are not that good – especially on
defense.


So, does that mean Viking fans should pack-it-in and start preparing
for hockey season?  Hardly.


For those wondering, Sam Bradford was really injured.  He moved very gingerly on the field, and when
he walked out of the player’s tunnel onto the field in street clothing.   But, he was not on crutches, was not wearing
a brace, and was not being constantly iced. 
He will be back, the question is, whether it is next week, or sometime
thereafter.


It is frustrating to be a Minnesota fan, for a team that constantly
teases with potential, and then reminds us that Viking fans seem to not be
worthy of having nice things.


However, this 2017 squad does have potential.  The defense is the real deal.  They gave up just 180 yards of offense
through three quarters yesterday, and did not break until they had been on the
field for 33 minutes and got worn out.


All will talk about the loss of Sam Bradford being the reason we
lost. It wasn’t.   The Steelers scored
after Brian Robison uncharacteristically jumped offsides on a 4th
and 1 play.  They scored again after a 51
yard interference penalty on Trae Waynes (who has a habit of grabbing his
receiver whenever he thinks he is beaten – the officials have pretty good
eyesight Trae).  


Trailing 14-3, the Vikings forced a 51-yard FG attempt by Steelers
kicker Chris Boswell.  Boswell’s kick was
wide left, so the lead would not extend. 
Or would it?  Unfortunately, Nick
Easton lined-up over the center on the kick, giving Boswell a second shot from
46 yards.  Of course, he drilled it right
through the middle.


17 points for the Steelers, yet none were really earned. 


It wasn’t until 5 minutes were left in the third quarter, that
Pittsburgh finally scored their 20th point, and their first 3 points
without an assist from Minnesota.


By that time, the Vikings were in full catch-up mode, with a
quarterback operating with a limited playbook and facing a Steeler defense that
knew the Vikings had to pass on virtually every play.


 


THE VIKING OFFENSE


Certainly the unexpected loss of Sam Bradford for this game hurt,
but this team could have competed and maybe stolen a loss from a very good
Steeler team, on the road, on a short week, and at the Pittsburgh home opener.


Dalvin Cook continued to show flashes that indicate he could break
it on any play (and, yes, he scored on the 25 yard run – we have no idea why
the reversed the TD and placed the ball at the one yard line, not the one inch
line).   Adam Thielen always competes,
but Case Keenum could not find him.


Jarius Wright played much more yesterday, presumably to give Keenum
some comfort zone with a 2nd team receiver.  Meanwhile, Laquon Treadwell played the
majority of the snaps on offense.   He is
a big target, and while he did make some tough short catches, it should be
noted that he gets very little separation.


Kyle Rudolph made on miraculous catch on the 3rd and
long, showing his basketball leaping and rebound skills to keep a drive alive.


The running game was average. 
Cook looks fine, but Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur had a gameplan in
the first two and half quarters that looked like he accidentally picked up Brad
Childress’s old “kick-ass” offensive playbook.  
For a long period of time, he just kept running Cook up the middle of
the Steeler defense on first down, leaving his less-seasoned QB with 2nd
and 3rd and long situations.


For his own part, Case Keenum was up and down.  He had some nice throws, but was wildly
inaccurate on others, and often throwing into double coverage on long distance
downs.  He did not play poorly, and he
did not prove he could really be a starter in this league. 


The offensive line played pretty well – give them a B-minus for the
game.   Center Pat Elfein is going to be
elite, while Mike Remmers and Nick Easton struggled at times.   But, in general, the line gave Keenum enough
time to throw, and will just keep getting better as a unit.


 


SAM BRADFORD


Some fans have already questioned Sam Bradford’s heart for not
playing.  But, that is unfair, as his heart
was willing, his knee was not.   Without
mobility against this Steeler defense, you put your franchise (at least for
now) QB in harms way, as a sitting duck back there to get hurt worse.


Sam tried to give it a go at around 9am eastern time, but all he could
do was throw without putting his left leg into throws.  He didn’t quit, he tried.  No one looked more disappointed that Bradford
looked when he walked alone out of the players tunnel onto the field.


How bad his injury really is, is unknown to anyone but the coaches
and trainers.  We can tell you that he
was not on crutches, had a small limp (very small), but walked slowly.  He did not wear a brace and did not ice the
knee before, during or after the game. 
He simply showered after the game and left, without talking to reporters
(coach’s orders – Sam will talk when allowed, but allowing some info out might
prove a competitive advantage as Tampa Bay prepares to play the Vikings).


It’s not time to get Colin Kaepernick – imagine that if you had Sam,
Teddy and Colin.  Holy smokes!  But, it is also time to wonder what this
mystery injury is.


 

Though Vikings Played Poorly, Still Not A Bad Team
Even before whispers of quarterback Sam Bradford’s mysterious knee condition would keep him from taking Heinz Field there were plenty of signs that this was going to be a tough week for the Minneso…

Read the full story here

Rapoport reporting link

He said he didn't sign up for 9 touches, right? He only had to touch the ball 8 times yesterday.

Aaron Rodgers Becomes Fastest QB Ever to Reach 300 Career Touchdownshttp://bleacherreport.com/articles/2733780-aaron-rodgers-becomes-fastest-qb-ever-to-reach-300-career-touchdowns?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

...what kind of team Minnesota is. 4 of next 6 at home, one of the away games is a neutral site (in London against Cleveland) and the other at Chicago. 1-1 is a fine record for heading into this stretch, especially if Detroit can get beat tonight. The plate is set for the team to win games, whether they will or not remains to be seen. No excuses. Good teams will take advantage. 

Pro Football Focus‏Verified account @PFF  5m5 minutes ago

That game was preseason-esque today. Just a few thoughts:

- This was going to be an extremely difficult game to win, with or without Bradford. Not having our starting QB play today just sealed the deal. I'm not freaking out because sitting Sam was the right move to make against a very active Steelers defense. Good chance he would have been injured worse if he played today. For what it's worth I think the Steelers are the favorite to get to the Super Bowl in the AFC. They are really talented across the board.

- The Vikings have been bad over the first two weeks of committing really bad penalties at inopportune times. Momentum killing penalties on offense (backed us up a ton today) or the defense not being able to get off the field on 3rd downs because of penalties (off side/pass interference).

- I think we are in a little bit of trouble in the secondary. Newman is just not the same guy at 39 years old. He's slow and has to give a ton of cushion because he doesn't have the recovery speed anymore. Tre Waynes for whatever reason has just not progressed or played up to his athletic prowess. I'm hoping they can get Tremaine Brock up to speed soon because we need the help against teams that can spread us out with talented receiving cores.

- I think Keenum was put in an impossible situation today. For what it's worth I think he is the best backup QB this team has had in some time and will do fine if we have to start him next week at home against Tampa.

- Keep feeding Dalvin Cook. He continues to show that he's special and can be a real corner piece of our offense going forward. Unfortunately getting behind so early and trying to play catch up limited his overall impact.

http://vikingswire.usatoday.com/2017/09/...0th-start/