7 Takeaways From Vikings Week 1 Loss At 49ers
Football season finally arrived for Minnesota Vikings fans late Monday night in the team's regular season opener at San Francisco. It was Monday Night Football on national television. It was a great chance for the Vikings to show what they're capable of this season. The only problem: The players never bothered to show up.
In one of the more disappointing and embarrassing performances in recent memory, the Vikings looked like they weren't ready to play on the national stage. They were out-coached by a first-year head coach and were out-played on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
It couldn't have gone much worse for the Vikings and their fans after a 20-3 loss. The question now is was the Week 1 debacle just a sloppy game to forget or will it be a trend for the rest of the season? It better not be the latter, with Vikings fans hoping for an exciting season and many NFL experts predicting that Minnesota could be a playoff team this year.
Here are seven takeaways from Monday night's loss at San Francisco.
Vikings Defense Didn't Stop The Run
The Vikings defense as a whole wasn't very good in their first meaningful game of 2015, but their run defense was especially bad. Frank Gore left the 49ers in the offseason and Reggie Bush got hurt early Monday night, but it didn't matter. Carlos Hyde ran all over the Vikings with 26 carries for 168 yards and two touchdowns. The Vikings allowed 230 rushing yards in the loss and the most troubling part was the missed tackles. That type of performance is not acceptable the rest of the season if they have any hopes of being a playoff team.
Adrian Peterson Didn't Get Ball Enough
The highly-anticipated return of Adrian Peterson was largely one big yawn. Peterson had 10 carries for 31 yards and caught three passes for 21 yards. He was in on 36 of the Vikings 56 offensive plays, but on the key drives and in many third-down situations, he was found standing on the sidelines. Peterson should be getting, at minimum, 20 carries per game. To have your best player not on the field in the game's most crucial moments is simply a head-scratcher.
Special Teams Missed Out On Early Big Play
The Vikings made a big play on special teams early with Andrew Sendejo's field goal block, but they couldn't finish it with a score. Marcus Sherels recovered it, but was tackled in 49ers territory before he could take it for a touchdown. The result of the drive was a missed Blair Walsh field goal. Score a touchdown there, whether it's with the offense or if Sherels can run it all the way back, and the Vikings have the early lead. The entire outlook on the game changes if they finish a big play there.
Teddy Bridgewater Looked Tentative, Nervous
One of Teddy Bridgewater's greatest strengths is his calm presence on the field. For whatever reason, that was nowhere to be found Monday night. He was 23-of-32 passing for 231 yards, but missed some easy throws and looked uncomfortable all night. One of his worst throws was over Kyle Rudolphs's head and hit 49ers defensive back Trumaine Brock right in the chest for an interception. Bridgewater looked rushed and unsure of himself for most of the night, and that can't happen the rest of the season if the Vikings want to have success.
Mike Wallace Shined On Otherwise Rough Night
Mike Wallace didn't do much in the preseason, but he might have been the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal night. He led the Vikings with six catches for 63 yards, and looked sharp. For not doing much in the preseason, Wallace appears to have a good chemistry with Bridgewater after just one meaningful game.
Vikings Looked Unprepared, Lost Battle At Line Of Scrimmage
For having a full two weeks for the coaching staff and first-string players to get ready for the first game, the Vikings couldn't have looked less prepared. Mike Zimmer said after that maybe his team isn't ready for prime time. The Vikings got pushed around and weren't ready for what the 49ers threw at them. Based on how the team played overall, especially the offensive and defensive line, it's possible the coaching staff isn't ready for prime time either.
Cordarrelle Patterson, Trae Waynes Did Very Little
Cordarrelle Patterson was a highly-coveted athlete as a first-round draft pick not that long ago. The Vikings used four draft choices to get back into the first round to grab him. He was going to be a big play receiver who is also explosive on kick returns. Patterson had one catch for one yard Monday night and returned a couple kicks. He hasn't nearly made the impact that has been hoped or expected. The Vikings took Trae Waynes with their top draft choice this year to make an impact in the secondary. He didn't play one defensive snap Monday night and has a ways to go.
The good news is that it was just one game and it was in Week 1, so there is plenty of time to fix the many things that went wrong. But so much went so far south out west that it's hard to envision success for the Vikings this season. That can all change with a home victory over Detroit on Sunday.