A TALE OF TWO HALVES AGAIN FOR THE VIKINGS IN WIN

Coming into this game I was sitting on the fence on two points: would the Vikings win, and would I want them to win? The way the season has gone I fully expected another loss by my beloved Vikings. I saw another closely played game with the Vikings running the ball well and passes being sprinkled around the field with Justin Jefferson having another stellar game with Adam Thielen out injured for another week. The Vikings would put on a good show only to have a crafty veteran like Ben Rothlisberger get them with a few big passes to set up the winning score. The Vikings would take another loss in embarrassing fashion, and we would see their draft stock improve and head coach Mike Zimmer’s job status tilt more heavily towards not being back next year. In the end I would shrug my shoulders and tell myself that it only improves the team’s draft stock and maybe they can draft a player that changes the team in a dynamic way. Now I never want my team to lose, but with the way this season has gone I am anticipating some changes specifically at the head coaching position. This game was simply ripe for an epic failure from the get-go. Turns out I was only partially right.

In the first half the Vikings came out strong with the miraculously resurrected from the injury cart running back, Dalvin Cook was having the game of his life. Cook was put back together by team trainer Eric Sugarman and he was running towards a record breaking day with over 140 yard in the first half. Had he kept his pace in the second half he would have broken future Hall of Fame Vikings running back Adrian Peterson’s single game record on a national stage. Kirk Cousins was slinging the ball to Justin Jefferson and getting the ball spread around to other receivers. There was some unneeded stress when Greg Joseph missed a field goal and then an extra point after a Cousins to Jefferson touchdown pass. Missed kicks have never come back to haunt this team, right? The Steelers kicker, Chris Boswell reciprocated with a miss of his own. After a decent first quarter the second quarter was where the Vikings took the lid off everything. Cook ran in 2 touchdowns and Joseph straightened himself out and added a field goal. The defense was also playing lights out by pressuring Ben Rothlisberger and sacking him a few times in the first half and not letting rookie running back Najee Harris run much. Both sides played well with the team going into the locker room up 23-0 and the Purple Faithful in stands feeling great about an easy win. Finally, we could just enjoy the win and have no complaints after a convincing win. That was a stupid thought.

SEE VIKINGS VS STEELERS HIGHLIGHTS HERE

The Vikings came out in the third quarter and scored again to go up by 29-0 before the Steelers scored what felt like a meaningless touchdown with the Vikings in full control. What happened next was exactly what we all expected to happen this season as Pittsburgh went on to score 20 unanswered points and scored 21 points in the 4th quarter alone. Cousins hit wide receiver KJ Osborn on a huge 64 yard passing touchdown to give back a slight cushion with less than half of the fourth quarter to go. Jordan Berry once again buried the Steelers with a great punt within the 5 yard line, but in 2021 fashion they let Rothlisberger drive the field with a combination of good passes and bad coverage with pass interference by our corner backs. Big Ben had a last second pass get into the endzone to a tightend but it was broken up by the Vikings backfield players and ended the game without the Steelers getting a chance to tie it up with a 2 point conversion. The collective sigh of relief expelled by the state of Minnesota may have caused Friday’s forthcoming snowstorm to change direction. The problem here is that the Vikings did the same thing they have done all year by letting the opposition get back into games and letting the game come down to the final play again. The players just seemed to get complacent in their play in the second half and the coaches again took their foot off the gas and didn’t apply the pressure they were in the first half. The offense also sputtered as they weren’t connecting like they were in the first half. Cousins had two interceptions in the game, but they were both due to his receivers: Jefferson tipped a ball he should have caught and KJ Osborn slipped on a route and Cousin’s pass was already on the way so it went right to the defender. The defense needs to get better regardless of key players being out. Zimmer’s seat in the coaching position is still hot as a roaring holiday fire, and the temperature won’t go down unless this is the win that spurs the team to a win streak that puts them in the Super Bowl. That’s not going to happen this year though as this team just can’t consistently be consistent when it comes to success. We get a nice break until the Vikings play the Bears on Monday Night Football where the Vikings can show their shortcomings once again to a national audience and maybe give the fans another collective heart attack or heartbreak.