On Sunday afternoon it was like you were listening to the Funeral Home Radio Network of the Minnesota Vikings as Paul Allen and Pete Bercich were calling the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Vikings were unable to keep their drives going, but kept Steeler drives alive with unnecessary penalties at crucial times, allowing quarterback Big Ben Roethlisberger and his Steeler teammates to jump out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, which the Vikings could never recover from the entire game. For the game, Referee Peter Morelli and his crew flagged the Vikings 11 times for 131 yards in accepted penalties.
The Vikings have nobody to blame but themselves in the 26-9 loss to the Steelers. The way they played on Sunday was inexcusable, even with backup quarterback Case Keenum starting for injured qb Sam Bradford nursing a sore left knee. Vikings kicker Kai Forbath even missed the extra point attempt, his second in two games, after running back CJ Ham scored his first NFL td and the Vikings only touchdown of the game in the third quarter. Frustration from the game also showed on head coach Mike Zimmer in the post game interview. When asked about the return of Bradford to the starting lineup by the media, he gave no definite answer on when Bradford would be able to play again.
The Vikings next Sunday look to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rocky seas to navigate at U.S. Bank Stadium when they come sailing for a noon “BOOM” kickoff. Let’s hope that the Vikings show that they are much more ready to play this coming Sunday than they were yesterday.
