VikingLord wrote: ↑Tue Dec 21, 2021 10:51 am
I think this team was getting their @$$e$ handed to them by the Bear defensive line. Cook had literally nowhere to run. On most running plays it seemed he was getting dragged down by a Bear DL, and on the rare plays when there was an actual hole it always seemed like Ogletree or Smith was right there to plug it up immediately. On most passing plays Cousins was under constant duress. Hicks abused Cole all night. I find it almost impossible that Hicks is THAT good and Cole THAT bad, but it was embarrassing for Cole. On the seemingly rare plays where Cousins did have time it seemed like the Bear defenders were all over everyone or Cousins outright missed on the throws. His nicest throws of the night were the two largely uncontested TD passes. Beyond that, it was WOW bad.
So to answer your questions, I think the Vikings were simply outclassed on offense by a really bad defense that either played out-of-their-minds well last night for some reason, or that the Vikings just weren't prepared to play physically or mentally. Bottom line - if you can't control the LOS, you can't do much in terms of creativity.
The defense was largely the same as the one we've seen all year. Give up seemingly 10+ yards per carry on some runs, stuff others cold. Play a little pass defense, but then let wide open guys run free or get easy catches on simple curl patterns. Get some decent pass rush pressure, followed by stretches with no pressure at all.
Maddeningly inconsistent.
I didn't even know a QB could take a knee on a play like that. I honestly can't recall ever seeing one do that before unless it is a kneel down play. I thought Lynch got flagged for body slamming him.
They should take that rule out though that lets a QB take a knee in a situation like that. He can take a knee immediately after the snap, but if he starts moving with the ball, the option to end the play by simply taking a knee should be over just like the QB can't intentionally ground the ball to get out of pressure either.
My concern with the option for a QB to just take a knee is that I can see guys starting to do that if they realize they're about to take a hit and don't have anywhere to go with the ball. Just dip down and if a defensive player either doesn't see it or can't stop their momentum before contact, that's a free 15 yards. Plus, it seems to make it more likely that a defensive player might make contact to the head if the QB is dipping down but not going to the ground, something we saw on the Kendrick's foul where Fields slides but doesn't get his head down. It makes it far more likely that incidental contact to the head will occur and that's also 15 yards on the defense.
Treat it like intentional grounding - if the ball is snapped and the QB starts moving with it, the option to take a knee behind the LOS is over. The QB can slide as a runner, but cannot avoid taking a sack by simply taking a knee.
I think it's the OL. They're just getting overmatched yet again and without an effective OL it's hard for anyone to move the ball. Even the best QBs and RBs struggle without blocking.