Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills: Full Report Card Grades for Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings managed to grab a loss out of the jaws of victory on Sunday afternoon, losing 17-16 to the Buffalo Bills when Kyle Orton threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins with one second left on the clock.
The Vikings fall to 2-5 and are reeling in the wrong direction, having lost three straight games.
Sunday's loss was the most frustrating of the season for Minnesota as the offense simply couldn't take advantage of the numerous opportunities given them by the defense.
The Vikings' defense generated four turnovers and Minnesota's struggling offense could only turn them into six points, which kept the game close throughout and left Orton with one last chance to win the game, which he did in dramatic fashion.
"Bills converted 4-and-20, 3-and-12, 2-and-20 on final drive
— Brian Hall (@MNBrianHall) October 19, 2014"
Facing 4th-and-20 with just over 1:30 left in the game, Orton found tight end Scott Chandler for a 24-yard gain to the Vikings' 36-yard-line.
After an intentional-grounding penalty forced a 2nd-and-20, Orton hit Chris Hogan down the left sideline for a 28-yard gain with just five seconds left on the clock, which set up the game-winning throw to Watkins.
In the end, it was a game where a veteran quarterback took a beating, but hung in there until the very end and made crucial plays in crunch time.
The Vikings sacked Orton six times, but he still put up good numbers, finishing 31-of-43 for 283 yards and two touchdowns.
The Vikings offensive line was pretty miserable once again, as Bridgewater was sacked five times and constantly faced 3rd-and-long in the second half.
Minnesota lost two starters on the offensive line in the first half, with both center John Sullivan and right guard Vlad Ducasse leaving the game with injuries. Vikings tackles Matt Kalil and Phil Loadholt continued to struggle Sunday, as the Bills front got 4.5 sacks combined from Marcel Dareus, Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes.
Bridgewater again struggled to find open receivers early in plays and seemed to hang on to the ball just a bit too long on too many dropbacks. The Vikings offensive line was beat up and struggled against a tenacious front four.
At 2-5 the playoffs are looking like a pipe dream at this point for the Vikings, as Sunday also saw the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions improve to 5-2.
The Vikings are back on the road next week, when they'll take on the 1-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Vikings' rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater struggled in his first road start, getting sacked five times and intercepted twice on the way to a bitter 17-16 defeat to the Buffalo Bills.
After losing starting offensive linemen John Sullivan and Vlad Ducasse early in the game, the Vikings struggled to give Bridgewater time to throw, and the rookie continued to exacerbate the problem by holding on to the ball for too long.
"Teddy Bridgewater said he has to get rid of the ball sooner. "Most of those sacks are on me." #Vikings
— VikingUpdate.com (@VikingUpdate) October 19, 2014"
Once again, it was a three-pronged problem for the Vikings offense. The offensive line wasn't blocking well enough, the quarterback wasn't making quick decisions and the receivers weren't flashing open early enough.
Bridgewater appeared to be late delivering the ball on his two second-quarter interceptions, and the Vikings can only hope that he learns from his mistakes.
The first was on a tipped ball, where he threw behind tight end Chase Ford, and the second was a just a bad throw on an out pattern that was behind Adam Thielen. Leodis McKelvin easily stepped in front of Thielen for an easy pick.
"After 2nd INT, Jennings told Bridgewater,"Whatever is going on in that head, that computer, just reboot it." Felt he settled after #Vikings
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) October 19, 2014"
It's tough to find any positives in a crushing loss like Week 7's, but Bridgewater didn't seem to wilt after the two interceptions.
The rest of this season will serve as a learning experience for the quarterback whom the Vikings want to lead them into the future. There will be some rough patches, but Bridgewater continues to show positive signs.
In the end, 15-of-26 for 157 yards and one touchdown isn't nearly good enough to win games in the NFL.
Bridgewater needs more time to throw, but he also has to start making better throws earlier in the play.
Grade: D+
Running Back
2 of 10
Perhaps the only bright spot for the Vikings offense against Buffalo was the running of rookie back Jerick McKinnon, who picked up 103 yards on 19 carries.
McKinnon was only supposed to see spot duty this year while he learned the ropes behind Adrian Peterson. With Peterson on the exempt list, awaiting trial on child abuse charges, McKinnon has taken over the starting job from Matt Asiata and is proving to be a viable future option for Minnesota at running back.
With the Vikings stuck at their own 6-yard line early in the third quarter, McKinnon took a first-down carry out to the 35-yard line. McKinnon made several nice cuts on the run and showed a nice burst out of his cuts.
It was the kind of play that usually helps kick-start an offense, but that just never happened for Minnesota on Sunday.
Fullback Jerome Felton had his first carries in ages and while he ripped off a 21-yard gain on his first of two carries, giving him the ball on a crucial 3rd-and-1 seemed silly. And it didn't work.
McKinnon would certainly get the game ball for the offense, but that's not saying much on a team that's scored just two offensive touchdowns during its three-game losing streak.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The good news for the Vikings receiver corps is that Greg Jennings finally showed a pulse.
Jennings led the Vikings with 77 yards on six catches, and Jarius Wright pitched in with four catches for 60 yards. Cordarrelle Patterson continues to frustrate, catching just two passes for nine yards, although he did have Minnesota's only touchdown.
The Vikings' receivers and tight ends just don't scare anybody right now.
Jennings is a possession receiver who looks pretty slow and old after the catch. Patterson is among the best runners in the league once he has the ball in his hands, but it seems as if he has no clue how to get himself open when running a pass route.
Those of us who saw Patterson haul in a 53-yard touchdown pass in the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs on a go pattern, were fooled into thinking that the second-year receiver could be a huge asset in the passing game this season.
Wright has plenty of potential as a third receiver, but he needs the other two guys to make plays in order to open things up for him either underneath or on deep routes.
Minnesota got zero catches from either tight end, which is sort of flabbergasting, considering how quickly Bridgewater needs to get rid of the ball on most passing plays. With starter Kyle Rudolph out, either Chase Ford or Rhett Ellison has to become a threat in the passing game.
Grade: C-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Vikings offensive line continues to be a shambles.
Things went from bad to worse in Week 7 when starters John Sullivan and Vlad Ducasse left the game with injuries in the first half. Sullivan suffered a concussion and Ducasse hurt his right knee.
"John Sullivan (concussion) out, Vladimir Ducasse (knee) questionable. #Vikings #Bills http://t.co/xrMp8jTo9m
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) October 19, 2014"
Ducasse was already filling in at right guard for starter Brandon Fusco, who was lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Today's injuries forced backup center Joe Berger in and backup tackle Mike Harris was forced to play right guard as rookies David Yankey and Austin Wentworth were inactive.
There is really no way to sugarcoat how poorly the Vikings offensive line is playing. The following table illustrates how the Vikings offense was constantly digging out of holes in the second half. These are the third-down yardages Minnesota faced during their four second-half possessions:
| Down and Distance | Yard Line | Result |
| 3rd-and-20 | Own 25 | Gain of 3 yards |
| 3rd-and-1 | Own 38 | Gain of 0 yards |
| 3rd-and-18 | Buff. 49 | Gain of 28 yards |
| 3rd-and-10 | Buff. 21 | Gain of 14 yards |
| 3rd-and-23 | Buff. 23 | Gain of 8 yards |
| 3rd-and-9 | Own 23 | Gain of 13 yards |
| 3rd-and-14 | Own 45 | Gain of 7 yards |
The Vikings finished the day converting 5-of-16 third downs, but you simply can't put yourself in constant 3rd-and-longs and have success in the NFL.
Too many times the Vikings were forced into terrible down-and-distance situations after taking sacks, committing penalties or simply running plays that lost big yardage.
The Vikings have now given up a staggering 19 sacks in their last three games for minus-118 yards.
Minnesota's offense is struggling in almost every facet right now, but nowhere more so than the offensive line. It's hard to gauge any progress from Bridgewater when he's constantly on his heels.
Matt Kalil, Charlie Johnson and Phil Loadholt are all having their struggles. The Vikings can only hope that Sullivan's injury isn't too serious or they're going to be in big trouble up front.
Grade: D-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Vikings' defense was like a boxer who dominated a fight only to get knocked out late in the last round.
It certainly wasn't the best game Minnesota's defensive line has played, but it deserved a better fate than it ended up getting.
The defensive line recorded all six of Minnesota's sacks, with Everson Griffen getting three, and Linval Joseph, Sharrif Floyd and Tom Johnson each getting one.
Griffen had eight tackles on the day in his best game of the season. Floyd also had his best game with five tackles.
The Bills had success on the ground, picking up 118 yards on 19 carries, but they never punched big holes in Minnesota's front.
The Vikings put constant pressure on Orton and did everything they needed to do to get a win for about 59 minutes.
Unfortunately for them, Orton hung in there for the full 60 minutes.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
Chad Greenway returned to the lineup after missing three games with broken ribs and once again found himself leading the team in tackles, racking up a season-high 15.
Greenway was impressive all day long, finishing off plays and keeping Buffalo's backs from breaking off any huge runs.
The one play that will probably haunt Greenway was the 24-yard pass over the middle to tight end Scott Chandler on 4th-and-20 that put the Bills in position to win the game. Greenway was about a half a step behind Chandler, and Orton came up with a perfect throw when he needed it.
Rookie Anthony Barr had another great game, using his speed and strength all over the field. Barr finished second on the team with 10 tackles, and his eight solo tackles were a team high. He also recovered two fumbles and was a constant presence against both the run and pass.
Jasper Brinkley had another pretty decent game, making six tackles and being a big contributor against the run.
In the end, it was a very good game for the Vikings linebackers, but their play wasn't enough.
"Chad Greenway: "We got in a situation last year losing those games at the end on the defense. And it just feels too eerily similar to that."
— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) October 19, 2014"
It felt like way too many games during the Leslie Frazier era. The Vikings once again found a way to lose a football game that it looked like they had won.
It's hard to point the finger at any one player on defense, but they didn't make plays during the most crucial drive of the game that ended with the Bills winning it.
Usually, holding an NFL team to 17 points is enough to win. It hasn't been for the Vikings for back-to-back weeks.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
First things first: Bills rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins is a heck of a football player.
Watkins has a rare combination of speed, strength and football smarts that make him almost impossible to cover one-on-one.
Watkins was a beast on Sunday, catching nine passes for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner with just a second left on the clock.
The Vikings' secondary didn't necessarily play poorly, but Minnesota's defensive backs have to come up with more than two passes defensed on a day that Kyle Orton completes 31 throws against the defense. Obviously not all of those are the secondary's fault, but enough of them were to feel like it wasn't a great day for Minnesota against the pass.
Much credit is due to Orton, who played like the grizzled veteran that he is. He took punch after punch, but continued to hit back and landed the biggest blows late in the game.
The two absolute killers against the secondary were the last two completions, the 28-yard pass to Chris Hogan down the sideline to the Vikings' 2-yard line, and then the game-winner to Watkins.
Xavier Rhodes was the Vikings corner involved on both plays, though it was the completion to Hogan that was the more devastating play. Rhodes was right with Hogan and just didn't react quickly enough on the deep throw. Rhodes doesn't have an NFL interception yet, and it's plays like that one where he has to compete for the ball.
The winning touchdown almost seemed inevitable after that, but Buffalo executed it perfectly, Orton hitting Watkins on an out pattern where Rhodes didn't have much of a chance.
Robert Blanton had one of his better games with six tackles, a pass defensed, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Harrison Smith and Captain Munnerlyn had somewhat quiet games, with each making five tackles.
Overall the unit played well enough to win. The entire defense did. Buffalo had to pull off three huge plays down the stretch and it did. For 59 minutes the Vikings defense was good enough to get high marks all around.
The last minute killed them.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Vikings kicker Blair Walsh had another perfect day, nailing all three of his field-goal attempts, including a 55-yarder that was even more impressive considering the windy conditions in Buffalo.
"In team history, Vikings have 7 total field goals of 55+. Of those, Blair Walsh has hit 5 (4 from 55, 1 from 56).
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 19, 2014"
It's frustrating that the Vikings offense needs Walsh to finish off so many drives, but think where this team would be if it had only an average kicker.
Punter Jeff Locke had a great day a week after a poor performance. Locke averaged 47.3 yards on six punts and kept the Bills offense facing long fields all afternoon.
Not much happened in the return game. Cordarrelle Patterson actually had three kickoff returns, but he didn't do much on any of them and averaged only 13.3 yards. Marcus Sherels had two pretty good punt returns but didn't break anything big.
At a time when the Vikings offense is struggling so badly to score points, it would be a huge bonus if the return teams could come up with a big play at some point.
The coverage teams didn't give up anything too damaging.
A great game from the two kickers, not much from the return or coverage teams.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
"Mike Zimmer said missing Sunday's game because of kidney stones was never a thought: http://t.co/GxUO0QoxMF
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingESPN) October 19, 2014 "
The end of the Vikings game probably felt worse than passing 10 kidney stones for Vikings' head coach Mike Zimmer.
Once again it was a pretty mixed bag for the Vikings, with the defense playing well enough to win, but the offense just not doing nearly enough to get the job done.
The offensive line continues to be a disaster, and it's fair to wonder why the Vikings haven't implemented more quick-hitting passing plays where the line won't have to hold their blocks for as long.
It's more than fair to wonder why Minnesota is handing the ball off to Jerome Felton on a 3rd-and-1 play when Matt Asiata had just ripped off 20 yards on three carries. Buffalo stacked the box, probably expecting a handoff to Asiata, and Felton never had a chance.
Minnesota wouldn't have another 3rd-and-short for the rest of the afternoon.
"Coach Zimmer: "There are a lot of positives to take from this game."
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 19, 2014"
"Zimmer very optimistic after this loss after being critical last week. "There were no fines." #Vikings
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) October 19, 2014 "
All told, it wasn't as bad a loss as the past two were. The fashion in which Minnesota lost it stings a little bit more, but the team certainly played hard.
The coaching on offense still is raising more questions than on the coaching of the defense, but it just might be that the Vikings have more good players on that side of the ball.
Grade: C
Overall Grade
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| Quarterback | D+ |
| Running Back | B+ |
| Wide Receiver and Tight End | C- |
| Offensive Line | D- |
| Defensive Line | B+ |
| Linebacker | B |
| Secondary | B- |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | C |
Overall Grade: C-
Once again, the Vikings defense deserved a better fate. It gave up yards failed during the game's most critical drive, but they won the fight for 59 minutes.
The offense is another story.
Not enough blocking. Not enough skill position players making plays. Too many penalties. A ridiculous number of 3rd-and-long situations. Too many wasted downs.
Sunday's game with the Bills was a critical one for the Vikings. A win would have put them at 3-4 with a chance to move to 5-4 with winnable games against Tampa Bay and Washington coming up.
The loss puts them at 2-5 and probably puts the season officially into the "building for the future" category. That certainly doesn't mean the Vikings won't do everything they can to win every game on the schedule, but it's become clear that this team has too many weaknesses to be a legitimate contender.
The offensive line is a mess. Their pass protection is awful, and it's critical that the unit gets better quickly with a rookie quarterback playing behind it.
Bridgewater threw a couple of bad interceptions on Sunday and once again, he held on to the ball for too long in the pocket. The good news is that he looked to show progress even as this game wore on.
This loss was a gut punch that reminded Vikings fans way too much of several losses in the Frazier era. When it came down to making plays for the win, it was the Bills who stepped forward.
You tip your cap to Kyle Orton and Sammie Watkins and figure out how you can make your team better.
A road game at Tampa is next. Go out and win that one and take it from there.
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