{"id":94696,"date":"2020-09-17T00:11:56","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T04:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=94696"},"modified":"2020-09-17T00:11:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T04:11:56","slug":"minnesota-vikings-d-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/09\/17\/minnesota-vikings-d-line\/","title":{"rendered":"The Minnesota Vikings Defensive Line: Ineffective in Week 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

The beginning of the Covid-19 season presents plenty of uncertainty for NFL teams. For the Minnesota Vikings<\/a>, though, a few things are certain. Kirk Cousins<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 despite some impressive numbers<\/a> \u2013 still struggles to elevate against quality teams, the Green Bay Packers<\/a> foremost among them. The Vikings also know that their corners are young. One of the best ways to help a young corner rests in getting elite play from the defensive line. On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 defensive line failed to produce in their task, largely contributing to Minnesota getting demolished at home.<\/p>\n

The Struggles of the Minnesota Vikings Defensive Line<\/h2>\n

The Vikings and their fans have plenty of viable excuses. The strangeness of the off-season may have disproportionately impacted the Vikings given that they\u2019re navigating so much roster turnover. Michael Pierce<\/a> <\/strong>opted-out; Danielle Hunter<\/a><\/strong> is on the injured reserve. There were no fans in the stadium, largely nullifying home-field advantage. Excuses can only go so far, though. The simple fact is that Minnesota\u2019s d-line didn\u2019t play well. When you\u2019re playing a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 a Super Bowl champion, MVP, and future Hall of Famer \u2013 the d-line must generate pressure. Otherwise, it\u2019ll likely be a long day, as Sunday\u2019s game demonstrates.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the game, Pro Football Focus\u2019s Sam Monson<\/strong> tweeted<\/a> that Rodgers averaged 2.3 seconds to throw. That reality certainly makes it difficult for the defensive line to generate pressure. Everything on defense is interconnected. When the corners allow their men to get open immediately, the d-linemen have very little time to make the quarterback uncomfortable. On one occasion in the second quarter, Yannick Ngakoue<\/a><\/strong> beat David Bakhtiari<\/a><\/strong> with a club & rip move, generating immediate pressure on Rodgers. The issue, of course, is that Davante Adams<\/a><\/strong> was already open. Rodgers threw the ball before Ngakoue could get home. Take a look for yourself (around the 0:40 mark):<\/p>\n

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32 completions. 364 yards. 4 TDs.@AaronRodgers12<\/a> was on FIRE in Week 1! \ud83d\udd25#GBvsMIN<\/a> | #GoPackGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/GpJqlQEuh2<\/a><\/p>\n

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 14, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n