Vikings' Blowout Loss Exposes Problems That Extend Beyond Christian Ponder

While Christian Ponder rewrote the definition for poor quarterback play, the problems faced by the Minnesota Vikings during Thursday night's blowout loss in Green Bay ran deeper than just missing rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

An argument could be made that the final scoreline would have been slightly more palatable than 42-10 had Bridgewater's ankle cooperated. But given the extenuating circumstances of the situation, not even Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton could have walked out of Lambeau Field with a win Thursday night.

The Vikings offensive line wilted under pressure. A running game that produced nearly 250 yards in Week 4 was largely unproductive in a dream matchup. And a defense that needed to play a perfect game wasn't up to the task. Throw in some spotty play-calling, and the result was an impossible task for any quarterback, much less one of Ponder's quality. 

Of course, those realities still do not excuse Ponder's play.

At one point in the second half, Ponder's passer rating actually sneaked back into double digits—from 8.6 to 10.8—by him throwing consecutive incomplete passes. He finished the contest with 22 completions for 222 yards and a passer rating of 45.8, but the majority of his numbers came after the Packers had already built a 42-0 lead.

	Total
Cmp/Att	22/42
Yards	222
TD/INT	0/2
Passer Rating	45.8

Ponder's two interceptions in the first half helped spring the blowout.

He was hit as he threw on his first pick, which Packers linebacker Julius Peppers returned 49 yards for a touchdown. A series later, Ponder threw behind running back Jerick McKinnon and into the waiting arms of Jamari Lattimore. The Packers scored three plays later to cement a 28-0 halftime lead.

"It was embarrassing," Ponder said, via the team's official site. "I feel bad that I put the team in this position. Point the finger at me." 

During both halves, the offensive line did Ponder no favors.

He was sacked six times, including two by Nick Perry and 1.5 each by interior linemen Mike Daniels and Letroy Guion. Ponder also endured 16 quarterback hits, which came from 10 different Green Bay defenders.

The Packers got pressure whether they blitzed extra rushers or came with just the standard four. It was a consistently muddied pocket for Ponder, who came into the game already possessing a skittish reputation inside the confined quarterbacking space.

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Bridgewater certainly has a more fine-tuned internal clock, but he likely would have eventually succumbed to the relentless pressure Ponder dealt with Thursday night. And considering the health of his ankle, it's far from a sure bet Bridgewater would have been better escaping the pressure.

Pass protection from the offensive line looks like it could be a season-long problem for the Vikings.

Ponder also got little help from the running game.

The Vikings rushed for 111 yards, which seems like a decent total on the surface. However, that number was 130 yards fewer than the 241 produced against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday and 65 fewer than the Packers came into the game allowing per contest (176.0).

For the most part, the league's worst run defense kept the Vikings from establishing any rhythm on the ground—which was always going to be vitally important to winning a game at Lambeau Field, regardless of who started at quarterback.

Instead of McKinnon and Matt Asiata controlling the game and setting up play action for Ponder, the two failed to crack 100 combined rushing yards.

A week ago, McKinnon and Asiata rushed for 213 yards. As a result, Bridgewater feasted on the Falcons defense off packaged run fakes. He's yet to have the opportunity to attack a defense when the run game is taken away.

It's also worth noting that all-world athlete Cordarrelle Patterson finished the game with just two touches and zero rushes. He had just one target in the first half, and it appeared offensive coordinator Norv Turner had no predesigned plays to Patterson in the early going. As well, McKinnon got just 10 touches, with the majority coming in the second half.

Bottom line: The two players who could have produced big gains off manufactured touches were largely ignored for the first 30 minutes of the game.

The Vikings defense was probably the least significant of the problems. However, allowing the Packers to go the length of the field on both their second and third drives dug the Vikings an early 14-0 hole.

Green Bay needed just four plays to score on its second drive. Running back Eddie Lacy broke off runs of 29 and 18 yards, which set up Aaron Rodgers' eight-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb—who smoked Captain Munnerlyn from the slot for the score.

On the Packers' next series, Rodgers used play action to set up his 66-yard heave to Jordy Nelson, who had all kinds of time to work his double move and get safety Harrison Smith turned around deep down the field.

Less than 10 minutes into the game, the Packers led 14-0. It was a nightmare start for a team that simply couldn't fall behind with Ponder at quarterback and a pouring rain coming down at Lambeau Field.

The Vikings defense did stand tall in the second quarter. The Packers produced just a single first down over the game's second 15 minutes, yet they still scored 14 points thanks to Ponder's turnovers. Over a three-series stretch between Green Bay's second and third touchdown, the Packers ran nine plays (three three-and-outs) and totaled just three yards.

The Vikings' opportunity to get back into the game was squandered by an offense that couldn't get out of its own way. Minnesota started the game with five straight punts. Ponder then threw two interceptions, and the Vikings didn't get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. Overall, the Vikings finished with 12 empty possessions.

But make no mistake—Thursday night was a failure across the board, not just at quarterback.

Now at 2-3, the Vikings can look ahead at a stretch of games that includes a visit from the division-leading Detroit Lions next Sunday before two straight road games. Time for panic? Not yet. 

"It's one game out of 16," head coach Mike Zimmer said, via the team's official site. "We got our nose rubbed in it tonight. Things change fast in this league."

The Vikings might feel comfortable excusing this loss as a product of the emotional blow of losing Bridgewater coupled with the trend of Thursday night disasters, especially from the road team. Going into Green Bay and leaving with a win—on a few days' prep and after losing two starting quarterbacks—was always going to be a difficult task.

However, the Vikings' 32-point loss—their worst to Green Bay since falling 45-7 in 2011—can't be blamed completely on Ponder. Minnesota needs to find a way to play better in all aspects, but especially along the offensive line and defending the run—which both look like problem areas for the Vikings this season. 

While getting Bridgewater back for Week 6 should help steady the ship, it's no certainty that the rookie quarterback will cure all the discouraging woes emanating from Thursday night's loss.

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.

Follow @zachkruse2