The horrible second half started with immense generosity on the Vikings part. Actually, the second half started nicely as the Vikings defense forced a Packers punt on the initial possession. It was on the punt that things went off the rails for the Vikings. Returner Myles Price decided to let the ball bounce rather than fair catch it. For some reason, he decided to scramble for the loose ball rather than getting away from it. The ball hit him and the Packers pounced on it. Just like that, the Vikings gift-wrapped a touchdown and handed it to the Packers. Two plays later, a contested, one-score game was a two-score game.
The gift touchdown was early in the third quarter. Despite the 17-6 score, there was still nearly 26 minutes to play. That’s plenty of time to make up for a giant mistake. Unfortunately, something seemed to change with the Vikings. Any energy they had before the gift was gone. It looked like the defense forgot how to tackle. I lost count of the number of times a Vikings defender ran right past a Packers ball-carrier in the backfield, Despite this sudden tackling issue, they still kept the Packers out of the end zone the rest of the game. The bigger problem was the offense.
Vikings second half possessions:
3 plays, 2 yards - punt
3 plays, -12 yards - punt
3 plays, -17 yards - punt
1 play, 0 yards - interception
5 plays, 26 yards - interception
The net of those pathetic possessions is -1 yards. 15 plays and -1 yards. -1 yards. -1 yards. Should yards even be plural when it’s negative? And two turnovers. It might be the worst half of offensive football ever.
Of course, the great takeaway of the pathetic offensive performance was the continued race to dump quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the “bust” bin. I will never understand this great thirst to label a young quarterback a bust. Pundits, and fans, race to get on that “bust bandwagon.” This game, and the pathetic second half offense, wasn’t solely a McCarthy problem. It was a team problem. From coaches to players, the Vikings essentially left Lambeau Field the moment Myles Price made the decision to chase a bouncing football. This game, and that half, was a team-wide failure. Pundits, and fans, that are putting it on McCarthy are chasing an agenda. Some may have set that agenda the moment the Vikings selected the quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Singling out a single person for a team failure is just lazy.
It took 12 games for the Vikings to field their five offensive line starters. A priority of the offseason was the rebuild of the interior of the offensive line. Injuries kept the five from taking a snap together before this Packers game. The great, and much anticipated, event lasted for little over a half. The Vikings offense moved the ball when those starters were on the field. All four first half possessions had at least one first down. Two ended in field goals. The best drive was a beauty until it wasn’t. As the first quarter ended and the second quarter opened, the Vikings offense ran eight consecutive plays of at least four yards. Six runs, two passes. The offense bullied their way down the field and into the red zone. The Packers defense was on their heels. With a third-and-1 at the Packers 17-yard line, Kevin O’Connell decided to get cute and called a short-yardage play with T.J. Hockenson under center. I suppose it was a Vikings version of the “tush push.” It’s easy to be critical of a play that didn’t work. Hindsight is a fan’s #1 tool. I didn’t like this play-call in real time. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. The failed “push” with Hockenson seemed to reverse the momentum that was built with the previous eight plays. The Vikings were on the verge of taking an early 10-7 lead. Instead, that momentum flipped. The Packers stopped the fourth down run and the Vikings best drive of the day ended with zero points. As for the first appearance of the starting offensive line, it lasted just over a half. Left guard Donovan Jackson left in the third quarter with an ankle injury. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw left a little later with a foot injury. McCarthy was sacked five times. Four of those came in the second half. With a two-score lead, the Packers pass rushers were able to tee off on the quarterback with little to no concern for the run. When Jackson and Darrisaw departed, it got even easier.
While football is fun, this wasn’t a fun game. A 10-7 record can often get a team in the playoffs. At 4-7, 10-7 would require a dream finish. With the way the Vikings played in the second half against the Packers, a single win would be a challenge. Next week, the Vikings travel to play the Seattle Seahawks. It’ll be interesting to see how the Vikings respond after this not-fun game.
No comments:
Post a Comment