Vikings/Packers post-game thread

[fiestavike]

The choice to pass wasn't the best but the location of the pass was the issue. He missed the TE opening. The issue was he threw late and short. I'm now convinced he is not the guy.

There's no letting Kirk off the hook. He was dreadful. He is the ceiling on an otherwise very good football team. Still I must point out that the GB CB grabbed Diggs arm on that play, and if they are going to wipe out a touchdown on a dubious pass interference call, they should wipe on the interception on a clear pass interference call. Whatever...I'm not all that invested anymore because the game is a silly joke, and I guess today proved it...but most significantly, it proved that Kirk Cousins is not a championship QB. He never will be.

[J. Kapp 11]

For the record, Dan Bailey did not "miss" that 48-yard extra point. It was blocked. Yes, it counts on his record as a miss, but it's pretty hard to make a kick when it gets blocked.

[PacificNorseWest]

Every team wants the ball on offense to start the 2nd half, that is why they defer. I'm sure it is more than 90%, probably closer to 98%. About the only time a team will take the ball on the coin flip is if it is in overtime.

I understand WHY they defer and I don't really care about the exact percentage. Even if it's 99.9%, I stand by what I said: "everybody does it" is a poor excuse for any decision. A coach should actually think about a choice like that because it has consequences. Settling with a default choice just because it's conventional wisdom doesn't cut it for me. Consider the setting. Consider the opponent, the weather conditions, etc.

I think the philosophy probably has to do with setting the tone with your best unit. Until the Vikings offense can prove its consistent, I dont see that changing. Vikings defense under Zimmer has held the upper hand on Rodgers and GBs offense. Further, playing the odds, its probably much more likely that if Minnesota got the ball first, that they'd go three and out opposed to the Vikings defense giving up points. It didn't work that way, but I have no issues with it.

[J. Kapp 11]

The choice to pass wasn't the best but the location of the pass was the issue. He missed the TE opening. The issue was he threw late and short. I'm now convinced he is not the guy.

There's no letting Kirk off the hook. He was dreadful. He is the ceiling on an otherwise very good football team. Still I must point out that the GB CB grabbed Diggs arm on that play, and if they are going to wipe out a touchdown on a dubious pass interference call, they should wipe on the interception on a clear pass interference call. Whatever...I'm not all that invested anymore because the game is a silly joke, and I guess today proved it...but most significantly, it proved that Kirk Cousins is not a championship QB. He never will be.

I was in the Vikings' corner when they signed Cousins. And honestly, after last year's first Green Bay game, I thought it was the best free-agent signing in a long time for us. But boy, has he disappointed ever since. It's just baffling. He's capable of making really great plays, like that amazing completion to Beebe and that dime he dropped to Diggs. But he just makes so many dumba$$ throws, and in the worst possible moments. He missed Diggs twice on deep passes where Stefon had a step. He underthrew Thielen when HE had a step. And the red-zone pick ... just abysmal.

Honest to God, I'm missing Case Keenum more by the day.

[Cliff]

I honestly can't see getting the ball first significantly changing things. The team had their chances (plural) and couldn't get it done. This wasn't a one or two play game that got away. They had several chances to take the win and they couldn't.

[Texas Vike]

Kirk. So many Vikings fans seem to have lost faith in his ability to win us a championship today. I may have too, but I have to say, I do like that he at least owns his mistakes.

https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-ki ... st-packers

It looks like our running game prowess in week 1 wasn't just a fluke. If Kirk can get back to his level from last season, at least, we should be a playoff team.

[fiestavike]

I understand WHY they defer and I don't really care about the exact percentage. Even if it's 99.9%, I stand by what I said: "everybody does it" is a poor excuse for any decision. A coach should actually think about a choice like that because it has consequences. Settling with a default choice just because it's conventional wisdom doesn't cut it for me. Consider the setting. Consider the opponent, the weather conditions, etc.

I think the philosophy probably has to do with setting the tone with your best unit. Until the Vikings offense can prove its consistent, I dont see that changing. Vikings defense under Zimmer has held the upper hand on Rodgers and GBs offense. Further, playing the odds, its probably much more likely that if Minnesota got the ball first, that they'd go three and out opposed to the Vikings defense giving up points. It didn't work that way, but I have no issues with it.

Yeah, I have no issue with that either. I don't think deferring had much impact on the outcome of the game.

[Purple Reign]

So what makes you think taking the ball would have been a better choice? The Packer's offense looked horrible last week plus the fact that the Viking defense was outstanding and the weather was a non factor. Just because it was their home opener isn't enough of a reason to go against conventional wisdom to defer. I have no problem with the Vikings decision to defer. As I said, most team prefer to start the 2nd half with the ball.

I didn't like the decision because I think under the circumstances, it makes more sense to take the ball and try to seize momentum early with a strong opening drive, thus taking the crowd out of the game and depriving the opponent's future HOF quarterback of the chance to do exactly what he did to start the game.

If you liked the choice, fine. It sure worked out great for the Vikings!

Yeah, hindsight is 20/20. What if the Vikings went 3 and out on their first possession? Or let's just take what actually happened on the Viking's first possession where they ended up missing the FG - that sure didn't take the crowd out of it. There were many reasons that the Vikings got beat today, sorry, but deferring the kickoff was not one of them.

[Husker Vike]

Cousins is getting paid like a top 5 QB,but he rarely delivers like one. We will have to live with him though as his contract has a strangle hold on the salary cap, he has a very limited pocket presence and seems skittish in big games.

[purplehaze]

The only thing worse than Cousins today was the Refs. Pretty much it. Vegas must have wanted to cover the spread.

[Mothman]

Yeah, hindsight is 20/20.

As I've already said, this wasn't hindsight.

There were many reasons that the Vikings got beat today, sorry, but deferring the kickoff was not one of them.

I didn't suggest the game's outcome hinged on electing to defer the opening kickoff. I just didn't like the choice.

[VikeFanInEagleLand]

There's no letting Kirk off the hook. He was dreadful. He is the ceiling on an otherwise very good football team. Still I must point out that the GB CB grabbed Diggs arm on that play, and if they are going to wipe out a touchdown on a dubious pass interference call, they should wipe on the interception on a clear pass interference call. Whatever...I'm not all that invested anymore because the game is a silly joke, and I guess today proved it...but most significantly, it proved that Kirk Cousins is not a championship QB. He never will be.

I was in the Vikings' corner when they signed Cousins. And honestly, after last year's first Green Bay game, I thought it was the best free-agent signing in a long time for us. But boy, has he disappointed ever since. It's just baffling. He's capable of making really great plays, like that amazing completion to Beebe and that dime he dropped to Diggs. But he just makes so many dumba$$ throws, and in the worst possible moments. He missed Diggs twice on deep passes where Stefon had a step. He underthrew Thielen when HE had a step. And the red-zone pick ... just abysmal.

Honest to God, I'm missing Case Keenum more by the day.

Really, the Beebe pass was also ill advised. I'm not even sure Cousins saw him. It looked like he just threw the ball out there and Beebe happened to be there.

[J. Kapp 11]

Yeah, hindsight is 20/20.

As I've already said, this wasn't hindsight.

Seriously? You just asked someone a few posts ago how it worked out.

If you don't want others to accuse you of 20/20 hindsight, then don't use 20/20 hindsight to bolster your argument.

[Pondering Her Percy]

There's no letting Kirk off the hook. He was dreadful. He is the ceiling on an otherwise very good football team. Still I must point out that the GB CB grabbed Diggs arm on that play, and if they are going to wipe out a touchdown on a dubious pass interference call, they should wipe on the interception on a clear pass interference call. Whatever...I'm not all that invested anymore because the game is a silly joke, and I guess today proved it...but most significantly, it proved that Kirk Cousins is not a championship QB. He never will be.

I was in the Vikings' corner when they signed Cousins. And honestly, after last year's first Green Bay game, I thought it was the best free-agent signing in a long time for us. But boy, has he disappointed ever since. It's just baffling. He's capable of making really great plays, like that amazing completion to Beebe and that dime he dropped to Diggs. But he just makes so many dumba$$ throws, and in the worst possible moments. He missed Diggs twice on deep passes where Stefon had a step. He underthrew Thielen when HE had a step. And the red-zone pick ... just abysmal.

Honest to God, I'm missing Case Keenum more by the day.

I think you need to hit the pillow and sleep it off. No matter what people think, Cousins, at the time, WAS the best option. Keenum was dreadful last year and they threw the towel in on him for Joe Flacco. The redskins signed him as a stop gap. That’s what he will he is a forever stop gap/back up. Miss him all you want, he’s not a good QB and was a horrible fit for Flips pass happy system. Oh and teddy, looked pathetic. No different than he did last year in a mop up game vs a Carolina team that was out of the playoffs. Bradford is Bradford. If case Keenum was any good, don’t you think teams would really be going after him? But no, nobody trusts him, he’s been on 2 different teams in 2 years and will soon be benched for Haskins.

Cousins pissed a lot of fans off today, including myself, but ya know what, so did this team. Mike zimmer pissed me off with his horrid calls early on, Rhodes pissed me off with his off coverage, our DEs pissed me off because they lost contain all game, Diggs pissed me off with his helmet penalty and lazy route on the overthrow (yes it was a lazy route. The announcer even called him out for it. He hit his break half as# and had to then sprint to try and catch it. He hits his route at full speed and that’s a catch. My dad actually called me right after that play and said that was lazy on Diggs part and he’s not even a vikes fan), thielen pissed me off today on nearly the same route as Diggs and it almost got picked (he went for a post, plants his foot and jogs, then looks back to Cousins and realized the ball was coming his way. Go back and watch the replay if you don’t believe Mr. Minnesota took a play off), Dan Bailey pissed me off today, Rudy pissed me off today with a terrible blocking effort on the long XP and so on. Nobody wants to say a damn word about the pathetic first quarter we had defensively. One of the worst I can remember. But since Kirk didnt save us from a 21-0 deficit, we’re done with him?

Bottom line is, A LOT of guys didn’t do their job today, Cousins included. And no he was not the reason we lost. The team was the reason we lost. Everyone outside of a few, failed today. We’re the better football team. Everyone tries to point a finger, primarily at Cousins for nearly every loss. The fricken team loses together or the team wins together. Figure it the fuc# out and take care of business next week

[Raptorman]

The Vikings should have challenged that goal line pick for defensive PI. King pushed off...not sure if anyone else noticed that. At least it puts more obvious heat on the refs if they don't overturn it like they did the Vikings TD.

I saw that as well. The turnover is an automatic review but it sure looked like he pushed off to me. Of course, he could have challenged DPI and as we know, if that was there, they should have called it on the review.