Costly penalties prevent Vikings from opening playbook in loss to Bengals

The mistakes kept forcing the Vikings into unfavorable downs and distances, which made it difficult to execute a game plan. Buy 19 Thielen Adam NFL Jerseys,

“It was tough to be able to call our plays,” wide receiver Adam Thielen said Buy Minnesota Vikings NFL Jerseys, . “Whenever you talk about an offense, you talk about giving yourself opportunities to open up a playboo Buy NFL Jerseys Free Shipping, k. When you’re second-and-20, when you’re third-and-15, third-and-12, your playbook goes from wide open to very narr Cheap NFL Jerseys, ow.

“So we have to be able to put ourselves in good positions on first and second down, and then [that] allows us to open up that playbook up and really make it tough on defenses.”

Minnesota found itself in 21 instances of second-and-long (situations longer than second-and-6). From the start, the offense failed to establish the run with Dalvin Cook, who averaged 3.1 yards per carry on 20 attempts, so any play-action attempt would have been less effective.

“It’s too many zones,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “Those play-actions are designed for when people want to stop the run. Second-and-20, they’re going to let you run, so there are too many zones.”

Play-action has long been a major part of the Vikings’ offensive identity. Without it, Cousins had limited opportunities to establish a deeper passing attack and looked uncomfortable under pressure while he tried to chip away at the negative yardage. In total, Cousins was sacked three times, all of which were allowed through the interior of the offensive line.

The concern that came out of the past six weeks stemmed from the lack of time Minnesota’s offensive starters played together in the preseason. Players and coaches maintained that the lack of time and overall stale feel on offense would have no carryover to the regular season.

19 Thielen Adam NFL Jerseys,Cheap 19 Thielen Adam NFL Jerseys,Cheap 19 Thielen Adam NFL Nike Jerseys,Cheap 19 Thielen Adam NFL Jerseys,Wholesale 19 Thielen Adam NFL Jerseys,Wholesale 19 Thielen Adam NFL Jerseys free shipping,Cheap Minnesota Vikings NFL Jerseys,Buy NFL Jerseys Free Shipping