Quote: @Wetlander said:
Cousins was efficient and didn't take too many shots downfield, except for the one to Diggs before half. That was an important swing in the game... the defense got a big sack to make it a longer FG, the Lions miss it, and then we score a TD with under a minute to go.
Other than that, the offense played OK. The biggest problem I saw wasn't the passing game, it was the running game. We didn't get any explosive runs. Cook and Mattison each had a long run of 9 yards... that was the biggest issue on a day where we clearly wanted the running game to put it away in the 2nd half.
While the run game was enough to win yesterday (respectable 120 yards), it's been a bit concerning for me that teams have kept the Viking RBs in check 3 of the last 4 games. The Vikes ran all over Dallas, but were pretty much shut down against KC (98), Denver (37), Seattle (78).
This team can't lose the running attack and do much in the playoffs, IMO. Controlling the TOP with Cook and Mattison not only helps KC's play action passes, but it will help the defense too.
We'll see what happens, but I think the next three games won't be easy. If the Vikes make it to the playoffs, it will have to be earned. I don't think losing two of the next three is going to cut it.
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
@ StickyBun said:
@ purplefaithful said:
@ FSUVike said:
I saw at least 5 times where Kirk went Play Action, had a clean pocket, scanned the field and took the checkdown.
Folks, not having Thielen really hurts this Offense. When Diggs couldn't shake Slay, or was doubled, there just wasn't anyone else open for chunk gains.
I love Irv and really like Bisi, but they're Rookies. Treadwell is sorta similar to Bisi in that he's not going to burn you deep. They even took a shot with Hollis.
Absolutely...
And the fact that Cousins is having this type of season without AT? Isn't appreciated enough by the fanbase.
Rookies Bisi + Smith in no way can make up for AT...
I hear you and FSUVike, but injuries are no excuse. Look at what San Fran did and they've got a boatload of injuries.
Who's making excuses?
The rooks are doing pretty good overall, but I'll bet they've hit that college wall too. They were non-factors in the passing game last week. Seattle had the personnel to shut them down pretty much.
Vikings have done well without Thielen for sure and I fully understand they'll be better with his return. AGain, not trying to bitch too much about a 20-7 win which wasn't nearly that close. It just was a 'meh' game for me.
Quote: @StickyBun said:
@ purplefaithful said:
@ StickyBun said:
@ purplefaithful said:
@ FSUVike said:
I saw at least 5 times where Kirk went Play Action, had a clean pocket, scanned the field and took the checkdown.
Folks, not having Thielen really hurts this Offense. When Diggs couldn't shake Slay, or was doubled, there just wasn't anyone else open for chunk gains.
I love Irv and really like Bisi, but they're Rookies. Treadwell is sorta similar to Bisi in that he's not going to burn you deep. They even took a shot with Hollis.
Absolutely...
And the fact that Cousins is having this type of season without AT? Isn't appreciated enough by the fanbase.
Rookies Bisi + Smith in no way can make up for AT...
I hear you and FSUVike, but injuries are no excuse. Look at what San Fran did and they've got a boatload of injuries.
Who's making excuses?
The rooks are doing pretty good overall, but I'll bet they've hit that college wall too. They were non-factors in the passing game last week. Seattle had the personnel to shut them down pretty much.
Vikings have done well without Thielen for sure and I fully understand they'll be better with his return. AGain, not trying to bitch too much about a 20-7 win which wasn't nearly that close. It just was a 'meh' game for me.
It was for me too...Hell, we left with time on the clock...Something tells me that won't be the case vs GB and Chicago 
I've gone to enough Vikings games to appreciate a meh, boring win that doesn't emotionally drain me lol!
Quote: @StickyBun said:
@ purplefaithful said:
@ FSUVike said:
I saw at least 5 times where Kirk went Play Action, had a clean pocket, scanned the field and took the checkdown.
Folks, not having Thielen really hurts this Offense. When Diggs couldn't shake Slay, or was doubled, there just wasn't anyone else open for chunk gains.
I love Irv and really like Bisi, but they're Rookies. Treadwell is sorta similar to Bisi in that he's not going to burn you deep. They even took a shot with Hollis.
Absolutely...
And the fact that Cousins is having this type of season without AT? Isn't appreciated enough by the fanbase.
Rookies Bisi + Smith in no way can make up for AT...
I hear you and FSUVike, but injuries are no excuse. Look at what San Fran did and they've got a boatload of injuries.
They also have a better O-Line. Opening holes for San Frans 3 different RBs, keeping the pocket clean so Jimmy G could hit Kittles, Sanders and Samuels for big plays.
The Shanahan/Kubiak Offense can disguise weakness on the Line. But when you pair it with a really good Line it can be explosive as all get out. Minnesota simply doesn't have that caliber of Line yet. They don't consistently open holes for Cook and the Pass Pro is so erratic Stefanski has to gameplan all those boots & waggles to buy Kirk time.
Get this Offense an above average LT and even average LG play and watch out.
Quote: @FSUVike said:
Folks, not having Thielen really hurts this Offense. When Diggs couldn't shake Slay, or was doubled, there just wasn't anyone else open for chunk gains.
I believe this is being
understated by a lot of people outside of the Vikings fandom because his name
isn't Thomas, Hopkins, etc. Noting what MB wrote above that it's a different
game if Stafford had played yesterday, I think Thielen's absence has made all of
our games different.
Many people are saying the
passing game has been okay/decent over this time, but I tend to see it more like
the offense overall has just been trying to keep its head above water much of the time.
Technically Thielen has now played less than half of the season so far (6 1/4
games) and since then:
- He is still tied for the team lead in receiving tds with Rudy at 6.
- Kirk has only thrown 4 touchdowns to wide receivers.
- Cook has not broken 100 yards in a game since the one Adam was hurt.
- Cook is averaging 3.55 ypc and only accumulated 383 rushing yards (64/game). He was averaging 5.45 with 725 yards through that first Det game (104/game).
The final results/record of the games may me similar but it really felt like the offense as a whole was starting to gel and roll in weeks 4-6. Since then it's felt rather gimpy, albeit with some pretty decent spurts here and there, but nothing has felt easy. Hopefully Adam can actually be back this week and play nearly 100% and see if things can loosen up a bit...
I kinda had the same feeling, but to me it was more that the game was never in doubt. The offense did their work in the first half, especially with the deep bomb to Diggs and scoring quickly after the missed FG.
The D never let detroit in the game, so it lacked that normal Viking feeling of the other shoe waiting. But it was a nice win, the D played well, 2 INTs, 5 sacks, almost a shutout.
So I guess our heart didn't just about explode, our adrenaline never amped up, so we wonder what is wrong.
Quote: @greediron said:
I kinda had the same feeling, but to me it was more that the game was never in doubt. The offense did their work in the first half, especially with the deep bomb to Diggs and scoring quickly after the missed FG.
The D never let detroit in the game, so it lacked that normal Viking feeling of the other shoe waiting. But it was a nice win, the D played well, 2 INTs, 5 sacks, almost a shutout.
So I guess our heart didn't just about explode, our adrenaline never amped up, so we wonder what is wrong.
LMAO, maybe that was it.
With the Vikings’ ninth win of the season secure, and last Monday’s loss to Seattle officially behind them, quarterback Kirk Cousins stepped to the podium Sunday afternoon and made an oddly candid admission.
“This was a weird one, because it felt like we couldn’t take a big step forward,” Cousins said after a 20-7 victory over Detroit at U.S. Bank Stadium. “It was either, you don’t get it done and it’s going to be a problem, or you win and you kind of shrug your shoulders and move on. We just wanted to make sure we didn’t lose that edge or that energy.”
What did he mean by that?
“You come back home, and you’re playing a team that has three wins, and there’s just kind of on the outside this assumption that, ‘Oh, they’ll win or if they don’t, then they fell short of the goal,’ ” said Cousins, who threw for 241 yards and a touchdown.
“Every win is hard to earn and every win is tough. Part of the struggles we had today on offense were because of the Lions defense doing a really good job. So you just kind of get nervous about ever letting your guard down in this league because when you do that, you get hit in the mouth.
“And fortunately, we came ready to play, but it was just something I was aware of, and going back to having a good week and doing what you need to do to not let that happen.”
In a league where players repeat truisms about being impervious to public perception and treating every game with equal importance, Cousins’ words landed as a strikingly human moment.
And yet, they showed the tightrope that is life in the NFL, where victories are not weighted and power rankings do not determine a team’s playoff fate. Whether the Vikings players, as individuals, were as charged up for a Sunday afternoon game against the Lions as a Monday night game against the Seahawks ultimately did not matter. They badly needed their ninth win, their seventh in the NFC and their second in the division, for playoff positioning.
One way or the other, they would have to get it.
Their victory, as bland as it might have been, ensured the Vikings (9-4) would avoid their first losing streak of the year by traversing circumstances that have tripped them up before (in Sept. 2018 against Buffalo) and nearly did so this year (on Nov. 18 against Denver).
They stayed within a game of the Packers — who had their own quotidian victory over Washington at home on Sunday — in the NFC North, and put themselves in position to clinch a playoff spot as soon as next week
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-handl...565947732/
Good quote by Cousins. It was a divisional game. Never take any NFL game for granted, especially a divisional game.
Meh! Yes. Exactly what it was supposed to be. A game with the outcome never in doubt. A game where a conservative approach was all that was necessary.
No "you like that" moments needed.
A nice boring win against an inferior opponent the Vikings were supposed to easily beat.
That's something that Vikings fans haven't seen enough of over the years.
Now let's see if they can do it again next week.
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