Since the previous Mailbag published one week ago, the Vikings have enjoyed the incredible high of a comeback victory on the road against a division foe and endured the low of a disappointing home loss to another NFC team.
Protecting home turf is one of the most important things a team can do, especially when the crowd is like it was Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium — if the squad has aspirations of a special season.
A home loss needs to be offset by a road win.
Minnesota allowed 42 rushing yards on the first two snaps of the game, but the defense found better footing in red zone opportunities, limiting Atlanta to a 1-for-5 showing in the red zone, with the only touchdown scored happening on a play where the Vikings allowed a score to get the ball back with more time on the clock, even though it meant falling behind by the game’s final 22-6 tally.
The Week 2 game fell on Atlanta’s terms and barely shifted. Each time it seemed like Minnesota was about to sway momentum, the Falcons were able to pull the tug-of-war rope back their way.
The Vikings offense and defense endured multiple injuries, but the team doesn’t want that to be used as an excuse.
With tonight’s doubleheader remaining in Week 2, the Vikings are one of 11 teams to open the season at 1-1 so far.
There is a lot of football left to be played, but there’s also quite a bit to fix for Week 3 when Minnesota hosts Cincinnati (and beyond).
Before we get to the questions, I just want to credit the in-house design team (True North) for some fantastic visuals in executing the first of two Vikings Classic games scheduled for 2025. The other is Week 18 against Green Bay. The elements of the Playbook and supporting graphics are some of my all-time favorites.
Now, we have Legends Weekend on the horizon, and I’m excited about next week’s Playbook, too, because it will offer a chance to honor Jim Marshall, the 14-time captain who passed away on June 3 at age 87.
Shifting to comments and questions, folks were understandably not digging how things shook out. I’ve tried to include multiple perspectives in an efficient way since we’re on the heels of a night game for the second consecutive week. The good news is the team (and us staffers) won’t be getting back from a road game at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday this week. The bad news is that the injury list significantly expanded on Sunday night.
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