GREEN BAY, Wis. — It’s hard to effectively sum up how bad the Minnesota Vikings were after halftime in the embarrassing 23-6 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. The ineptitude displayed might go down as the worst 30 minutes that will ever be put forth under head coach Kevin O’Connell.
It was a total system failure across the board for the Vikings after rookie returner Myles Price muffed a punt near his own goal line.
ADVERTISEMENT
That opened the floodgates as quarterback J.J. McCarthy was forced to take on a heavier workload than he could bear. He looked completely overwhelmed for prolonged stretches while struggling to put together consecutive positive plays from scrimmage.
Here are some takeaways:
Game looks too big for J.J. McCarthy right now
Major problem that McCarthy seems to be regressing.
Though growing pains were to be expected for a young signal caller, there aren’t a lot of things to suggest he’s actually getting better. At least not at the moment. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards, no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. He also appeared to be visibly rattled down the stretch
It is worth noting McCarthy reported concussion-like symptoms during the team’s plane ride back to Minnesota on Sunday evening. The quarterback is now in the concussion protocol.
There was clearly a concerted effort from O’Connell in the early stages to limit the amount of times McCarthy had to throw the ball. He relied on the running game more than usual as a way to control the pace of the game as best he could.
The game script eventually called on McCarthy to shoulder more of the load, however, and he proved time and time again that he wasn’t up for the challenge. Not only did he turn the ball over twice, his pocket presence disappeared while taking a handful of sacks.
ADVERTISEMENT
Whether McCarthy clears the concussion protocol in time for Sunday’s game in Seattle is still unknown. Even if he does, a pathway to better play in the near future it difficult to identify.
Offensive line can’t stay healthy
The highly anticipated return of center Ryan Kelly meant the Vikings finally had their entire projected starting offensive line playing together for the first time. That positive development didn’t last very long as left tackle Christian Darrisaw and rookie left guard Donovan Jackson both left with injuries.
The loss of both players up front came with the Vikings already getting dominated by the Packers in the trenches.
The impact that star edge rusher Micah Parsons brings to the table was palpable as he lived in the backfield against a depleted offensive line. He finished with a pair of sacks and paved the way for a couple of sacks from defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.
The extent of the injures for Darrisaw and Jackson are still unclear. It would be a crushing blow if either has to miss an extended period of time.
Defense needs to start forcing turnovers
It wouldn’t be fair to put too much blame on the defense when considering the way the Vikings managed to make life hard on the Packers in some respects.
It wasn’t a prolific outing for quarterback Jordan Love, as he completed only 12 of 21 passes for 139 yards. It felt like the Vikings were content to let backup running back Emanuel Wilson beat them. Wilson did to a degree, posting 28 carries for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
ADVERTISEMENT
The more glaring issue is the lack of turnovers creation by the defense. After finishing tied for the league lead in takeaways last season with 33, they’ve forced just nine through 11 games this fall. That’s not good enough from a unit whose identity is predicated on takeaways.
Minnesota has gone three straight games without a turnover.
Mistakes for Myles Price adding up
The game turned upside down for the Vikings when Price lost a fumble on a punt return shortly after halftime. After deciding not to call a fair catch near his goal line, Price accidentally let the ball hit him on a backwards bounce while he attempted to block a Green Bay player.
That resulted in a turnover the Packers quickly turned into a two-score lead, and the Vikings never recovered.
It wasn’t Price’s first major blunder. He lost a fumble on a kickoff return in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago.
While the undrafted free agent has shown flashes of brilliance, he also has had a number of costly errors. That trend can’t continue if Price wants to keep his spot on the roster.
Excellence of Will Reichard shouldn’t be overlooked
The lone bright spot was the performance from kicker Will Reichard. He was the only reason the Vikings scored.
ADVERTISEMENT
He booted two 50-plus-yard field goals, including a 59-yarder to pull Minnesota within four points heading into the half. Reichard made both kicks look like chip shots, despite playing in a venue that often isn’t kind to kickers.
There’s no doubt the Vikings got it right by using a draft pick on Reichard once upon a time. He’s slowly but surely establishing himself among the best players at his position.
____________________________________
This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.