VikingLord wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 11:41 am
Just a really poor performance from the Vikings overall against a Packer team that came ready to play. Darrisaw got owned all night, Ingram again showing zero awareness, lots of unforced errors again, and the defense was just outclassed by a bunch of no-name receivers. Jordan Love is an OK QB. He's not the next Rodgers or Favre, but the Packers could certainly do worse than him at the QB position. But I'm not worried that another dynasty is about to emerge in Green Bay.
This seemed like a lack of effort and preparation game from a team that you can sense knows it wouldn't go anywhere even if it made the playoffs. The Packers, OTOH, were clearly ready to play and seemed to be playing for something. Maybe they have more reason to be optimistic, but I suspect if they do make the playoffs they'll be one-and-done. From my perspective, I'd rather the Vikings don't make the playoffs because they need to address some key areas on the team this offseason and higher draft picks increase the chances of successfully doing that. So I'm fine with the Packers going on and the Vikings moving up in the draft at this point.
I also believe if Cousins were still playing I'd feel a lot differently about this last game. First, I don't think the team would have lost, or at the very least not lost as badly, because I think the team would likely have 3 or more wins and be in a much more competitive playoff position. With the QBs we have now, there really isn't a point. Second, this seems like a year where the NFC is a little weaker at the top. I guess the 49ers are playing pretty well right now, but it seems like a year where had the Vikings not gotten bit so badly by the injury bug and had they not shot themselves in the foot repeatedly to open the season, they would have been right there. Oh well, such is the life of a Vikings fan.
Anyway, KOC will start Mullens against the Lions and try to win that game regardless. I fully expect them to do it, too, taking them just outside of the pick that will be used to draft Daniels, who will then go on to have the best career of the first round QBs drafted in this upcoming draft. That is just they way it goes for this team.
Everybody wanted Jaren Hall to start. “Gotta see what you have.” Heck, I blasted Nick Mullens as much as anybody after that meltdown against the Lions. Even I wanted them to start Hall. I was curious to see if he could rise to the occasion.
Well, we found out what we have … a 5th-round rookie from the (then) West Coast Conference who was in over his head.
That is NOT to rip Jaren Hall. It’s just a long, long way from playing Pepperdine and Santa Clara to going up against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football in a must-win game for both teams. The guy never had a chance.
It’s also easy for us to rip the O-line after that game. But honestly, if your QB doesn’t get rid of the ball in 2.5 seconds, most NFL teams will make you pay. Jeremiah Sirles always says on his podcast that the guy you’re blocking will always win … it’s a matter of how long an O-lineman can delay it. Hall was slow on his drop, and his decision making was very slow. The O-line never really had a chance. The one sack he took where THREE Packers got to him at the same time … that’s on Hall. They sent more rushers than the Vikings had blockers, and he had no idea what to do.
And you saw the offense actually improve when Nick Mullens came in, weird as that is to say. He processed things quickly and moved the ball. Had a hell of a time actually scoring, but it IS Nick Mullens. Not surprisingly, the defense got a little better in the second half, probably because they weren’t on the field as much.
This team is also worn out. They had played 14 one-score games before Sunday night, often running a squad out there held together with duct tape and baling wire. I was hoping for a better showing but not surprised at how they played. I’m not sure any team endured as much adversity as the Vikings this season.
If anything, the Green Bay game highlights a) how much injuries derailed the season, and b) how far the Vikings have to go to build this roster. The roster as constructed at the beginning of the season had decent players but no quality depth. The injuries have made that painfully obvious. For example, as much as PFF and some Vikings fans don’t like Byron Murphy, look how bad the secondary has looked since he went down. The pass rush, never great outside of Danielle Hunter, has fallen apart since DJ Wonnum was lost. The tight end position suddenly looks very ordinary without Hockenson, despite the presence of Josh Oliver and Johnny “Best Third Tight End in the League” Mundt.
This game, to me, points to some big decisions that will have to be made. Those decisions start at the very top with the Wilf brothers. They had Kirk, shirtless with big chains, blowing the gjallarhorn. Was that a “we need you Kirk” gesture that means he’s coming back? Or was it a “thanks for the memories, we appreciate what you did” move that signals his departure?
Maybe it was just a fun, rile up the crowd thing … but it certainly was symbolic.
Bring Cousins back, and the Vikings will likely be vying for a wild card, but mostly unable to build a full roster in the way Detroit did and Chicago and Green Bay are doing. Let him walk, and you take your chances with a rookie QB, likely drafted in the top 10, and have the financial resources to put some pieces around him, even though it might mean a 5-12 season along the way.
What will the Vikings do? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, Mullens likely will start the season finale, probably make enough plays to keep the Vikings in the game, along with enough blunders to ruin any chance of beating a very pissed-off Lions squad that is playing for the No. 2 seed. Looking like 7-10 and tied for last in the division is pretty likely.