Vikings Flop

I awoke at 6:30 Sunday morning and figured that was the message for me to watch the Vikings-Steelers game being broadcast from Dublin. A mistake, except it kept me from signing up for the NFL Sunday Ticket TV package. The 24-21 final score was misleading, as the Steelers dominated both sides of the ball. What was not misleading was the Vikings’ inability to provide a pocket for the quarterback to throw from. That has been the Vikings’ trademark for as long as I have watched them. It prompted them to remake their offensive line this offseason, with aging linemen who have already begun to fall apart. When I watch other teams on the tube–Green Bay at the moment–I see quarterbacks sitting in the pocket, surveying the defense, and throwing downfield. It’s fun to watch. Vikings quarterbacks, by contrast, are harried and too often get sacked or throw a check-down pass. We get so little chance to see Justin Jefferson and the other receivers doing their thing. Wentz did throw one long pass today, but only because the Steelers forgot to cover their man.