To the outside world, it appeared that the Cleveland Browns had given up hope on 2013. After trading Trent Richardson, and rumors began to circulate they were willing to part with other assets, most analysts pointed to 2014 and assumed the Browns would not be playing to win Sunday. The Browns saw things differently. The Browns stayed tenacious the entire game, and the Vikings lost their second straight game on a late game touchdown drive that put them up 31-27, after their offense failed to close the game out. The Vikings were the one who played like they didn't want this win, not the Browns, and questions now have to come as to which of these teams truly needs to start looking at 2014.
Offense: C-
To give this offense credit, they put up 27 points on a tough defense. If you had told any NFL analyst that the Vikings would score 27 points in this contest, every one of them would have picked the Vikings to win. But they didn't. The offense scored points, but they gave the ball away three times. Half of their drives resulted in a three and out or a turnover, a big mark of inconsistency for this offense. They failed to support their defense, scoring only 10 points with the four turnovers their defense gave them. Finally, once again, the offense had a chance to close a game out late, but went three and out twice and took almost no time off the clock. A first down could have won the game; instead, the Browns march down for the win.
Quarterback: C-
Christian Ponder has already received plenty of heat for his performance, but before criticizing him it needs to be acknowledged that he didn't have the best help today. His offensive line failed to protect him and his defense turned in an abysmal performance. Ponder still cannot be excused though, as he still could have helped his team play better. Ponder was off target most of the day on throws not around the line of scrimmage, missing several open throws all over the field. He did not put his receivers in optimal position to succeed most of the day, making them work hard for catches. He threw another bad interception where he didn't see a linebacker in the middle of the field. Ponder tried to go keep but defenders (rightfully) still don't respect his ability to beat them with his arm. They stacked the box to stop Adrian Peterson most of the day, and even with crowded lines of scrimmage Ponder only average 5.4 yards per attempt. Ponder showed off his mobility often today, rushing for two touchdowns, but his arm still doesn't show the ability to beat NFL defenses.
Running Backs: C
Adrian Peterson did not have a good day on the ground, and when that happens it's almost never a good day for the Vikings. Peterson said he played hesitant against the Chicago Bears, and he played a little timid again against the Browns. Peterson didn't trust his blocks or didn't trust his own ability, and AP left some yards on the field (and that's a rare statement). Peterson rushed for 88 yards, but it came on 25 carries, meaning he only averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Peterson also fumbled the football for the second straight game, and he needs to protect the ball better for this team to be successful.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: C
Ponder made things harder than they needed to be for his receivers and tight ends, but they could have picked up their play to help him out too. Even though Ponder didn't throw perfect balls most of the day, there were still a lot of catchable balls that ended up hitting the turf. There were times receivers failed to separate from the Browns' secondary, and Ponder just doesn't have the confidence right now to throw them open. Rookie Cordarrelle Patterson was much more involved in the game plan, and even though he only recorded two catches, he was just as noticeable as any Vikings' receiver.
Offensive Line: D
The offensive line had its struggles in the first two games, but it looked like it was getting its act together as the game in Chicago went on. Unfortunately, they regressed mightily against the Browns, failing to open up the run game and surrendering six sacks to the Browns' defense. Ponder had few clean pockets to work from, as pressure was constantly coming from up the middle. Phil Loadholt personally gave up two sacks, looking nothing like the player the Vikings thought they were getting when they extended his contract. The unit's regression is severely troubling, and they somehow have to find a way to get it together if they want this team to be successful.
Defense: D+
The script of the Vikings's game on defense Sunday played out eerily similar to their performance at Chicago. They gave up plenty of points early. They then went into the locker room, defensive coordinator Alan Williams made adjustment, and they proceeded to give up no points in the second half. That is, until the Vikings really needed a stop, as the two minute defense failed again, giving up a late game sealing touchdown. They forced four turnovers for the second straight game, their offense just sadly failed to capitalize. The defense deserves plenty of heat for this loss despite the turnovers though, as they gave up 409 total yards and 31 points to an offense that looks as talent thin as any in the NFL. That's simply not acceptable, and that's one of the main reasons why this team is starting this season 0-3.
Defensive Line: D
Coming into this game, it seemed like the Vikings' defensive line was ready for a huge day, as the Cleveland Browns had given up 11 sacks over their first two games. Instead, the line could not generate any pressure throughout the first half, and the defensive line only mustered one sack on the day. The Vikings had to resort to blitzing their linebackers frequently in the second half because their front four was not getting to Brian Hoyer. They did manage to hold the Browns' ground game quiet, but it was clear that the Browns weren't expecting big things from their running game as they rarely gave the ball to their running backs (Hoyer instead attempted 54 passes). The line did manage to force an interception when rookie Shariff Floyd hit Hoyer's hand while he was throwing, but other than that this unit did not make their presence felt on a day where they were expected to soar.
Linebackers: C+
During the first two weeks on the season, the Vikings' linebackers appeared to be the weak spot on this defense, and if nothing else they weren't that on Sunday. The linebackers still struggled out in coverage, but they were relied on a lot less in that aspect of the game against the Browns. The linebackers were asked to blitz often in this game, and Erin Henderson made the most out of that opportunity, recording two sacks, or double what they entire defensive line managed to record. Henderson and Chad Greenway also each recorded an interception. The Vikings still have room for improvement at the second level, but on a day where most of the defense struggles, at least the linebackers came up and made plays.
Secondary: D
The Vikings' secondary was the weak point today, and depth on the back end is already a major concern for this team. The Vikings gave up over 300 yards through the air, and the secondary only made third string quarterback Hoyer pay once for his aggressiveness. Harrison Smith recorded the one interception for the Vikings' secondary, and made several tackles to show that he's one of the best young safeties in the league. Smith is not blameless though, as he is the one who gave up the game winning touchdown to Browns' tight end Jordan Cameron. Smith's partner Jamarcus Sanford fared no better against Cameron, giving up two touchdowns to the tight end. Sanford was out of position all day, until he injured his hamstring late in the game and Andrew Sendejo was forced to take his place (Sendejo was okay but missed a big tackle on the last drive). Cornerback Chris Cook injured his groin early in the game, and that forced the Vikings to rely on their reserve corners for almost the entire game. One of those reserves, AJ Jefferson, had a brutal game, as he was targeted twice and gave up two long plays, one of them for a touchdown. Second year player Josh Robinson also made life easy for opposing receivers, though the lack of a pass rush did not help him. Rookie Xavier Rhodes was rarely targeted and fought tough all game, and he at least provided hope for the future of this position group. Punt returner Marcus Sherels was forced to play plenty of snaps due to the various injuries in the secondary, and while he was targeted often he gave up no big plays and forced plenty of incompletions. Sherels should be applauded for his effort, but he should not be seeing regular snaps. Rick Speilman needs to beg Antoine Winfield to come back.
Special Teams: C-
The Vikings' special teams struggled in coverage last week against the Bears, and it still appears that there are some issues this unit needs to work out. Rookie Jeff Locke was solid on the day, most of his punts covered good distance, and Blair Walsh was perfect on all field goals on extra points. Special teams coverage was still shaky though, giving up a big punt return that set the Browns up inside Viking territory. The Browns also had two huge special teams played that the Vikings were completely unprepared for, as they were able to convert on a fake punt for significant yardage, and converted a fake field goal for a touchdown. There's a reason that you never see special teams fakes at the NFL level: they're not supposed to work.
Coaching: F
There's no way around it: the coaching staff failed the Vikings in this game. Despite having a much more talented roster, the Vikings came out flat-footed against the Browns and whatever game plan was in place clearly was not effective. This team was unprepared for two special teams fakes that were key to the Browns' success, and that's on the coaching staff for not being ready for those. The two-minute defense failed to improve and the Vikings allowed a second straight game winning drive. Leslie Fraizer also took a penalty late in the first half that cost the team 15 yards and may have cost them a shot at reaching the end zone. This was a game that was set-up for an easy Vikings' victory, and the coaches have to take the fall for allowing this team to play sloppy football against a weak opponent.
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