GoneFishin615
Starter
Minnesota traveled to Pittsburgh for their much anticipated week 2 match up. It's as if the Vikings wouldn't have it any other way; let the defense carry the team to victory and cover up for the sloppy play by their offense. The Vikings came away with a 26-7 victory to improve to 2-0.
The Steelers were without superstar WR Antonio Brown, making the task at hand much easier for the visitors. This allowed the Vikings to focus on big play WR Martavis Bryant by shadowing him with Xavier Rhodes. The X factor was whether the Vikings defensive line could contain stud RB Le'veon Bell. They were up to the challenge and held him to 3 yards per carry. Rhodes held up his end of the bargain by shutting down Bryant to the tune of 4 catches for 50 yards. This helped free up the rest of the D to play their assignment without worrying about the big play. Hunter Smith replicated his week one performance with 2 more INTs and a FF. His presence is being felt in these first two weeks and teams will presumably shy away from his side of the field. The Vikings defense produced 6 more turnovers this week which brings their total to 13 in the first 2 games.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Vikings putrid offense. When Bradford has time, he can move the ball but has a habit of making terrible throws 1-2 times per game. Rookie Dalvin Cook struggled to get anything going again this week as he was normally met with black n yellow helmets before he could get to the line of scrimmage. Halfway through the 4th quarter, Cook had 18 carries for 70 yards. Considering two of his runs accounted for 35 yards, something needs to change if the Vikings are going to continue to win games. Latavious Murray did show signs of life as he had 4 carries for 35 yards and a TD. The bright spot on offense thus far has been WR Adam "why is he always open" Thielen. He added another 5 catches for 100 yards and a big touchdown on 3rd and long.
Worth noting, the Vikings signed 23 year old rookie LT Zach Banner from USC with the intentions of grooming him to replace Remmers at RT in the near future.
**This game was disconnected with 4 minutes left in the game so all stats are relatively accurate but not exact.**
The Steelers were without superstar WR Antonio Brown, making the task at hand much easier for the visitors. This allowed the Vikings to focus on big play WR Martavis Bryant by shadowing him with Xavier Rhodes. The X factor was whether the Vikings defensive line could contain stud RB Le'veon Bell. They were up to the challenge and held him to 3 yards per carry. Rhodes held up his end of the bargain by shutting down Bryant to the tune of 4 catches for 50 yards. This helped free up the rest of the D to play their assignment without worrying about the big play. Hunter Smith replicated his week one performance with 2 more INTs and a FF. His presence is being felt in these first two weeks and teams will presumably shy away from his side of the field. The Vikings defense produced 6 more turnovers this week which brings their total to 13 in the first 2 games.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Vikings putrid offense. When Bradford has time, he can move the ball but has a habit of making terrible throws 1-2 times per game. Rookie Dalvin Cook struggled to get anything going again this week as he was normally met with black n yellow helmets before he could get to the line of scrimmage. Halfway through the 4th quarter, Cook had 18 carries for 70 yards. Considering two of his runs accounted for 35 yards, something needs to change if the Vikings are going to continue to win games. Latavious Murray did show signs of life as he had 4 carries for 35 yards and a TD. The bright spot on offense thus far has been WR Adam "why is he always open" Thielen. He added another 5 catches for 100 yards and a big touchdown on 3rd and long.
Worth noting, the Vikings signed 23 year old rookie LT Zach Banner from USC with the intentions of grooming him to replace Remmers at RT in the near future.
**This game was disconnected with 4 minutes left in the game so all stats are relatively accurate but not exact.**