Vikings Try To Reassure Their Fans After Disappointing First Game
With everyone else in the NFC North winning their first game, it would would have been nice for Vikings fans if they did the same. The Vikings lost their first game of the year, but nobody really expected them to win on the road in San Diego.
They scored zero points in the second half and had 39 total passing yards in the entire game, but it's a new offense with a new coach and quarterback. So, how much concern is there from the Vikings camp you might wonder.
"It was one game," coach Leslie Frazier said of the 24-17 loss to the Chargers. "We've got a lot of games. The biggest thing about this game yesterday is that we aren't going to be able to go 16-0. I don't think it declares anybody anything other than the fact that you can't go 16-0."
Players echoed those words in the locker room, downplaying a second half that saw the Vikings outdone in total yards, 234-26; passing yards, 193-2; first downs, 18-2; and points, 17-0.
"It's disappointing, but at the same time, nobody here is going to panic," center John Sullivan said. "Nobody here is going to get nervous about it. We know we're going to go back to work on Wednesday and get ready to go out and beat Tampa Bay. We'll be right where we want to be."
Meanwhile, the rest of the NFC North is exactly where it wants to be heading into Week 2. While Donovan McNabb completed 47 percent of his passes for 39 yards in his Vikings debut, the trio of Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, Chicago's Jay Cutler and Detroit's Matthew Stafford went 3-0 while completing 73 percent of its passes and an average of 310 yards per player.
The Vikings, however, probably are right where they should be. They have enough talented individuals to lead a Super Bowl contender by 10 points on the road at halftime, and by three points in the fourth quarter. But consistency issues and growing pains often come with new faces at key positions, a new offense and a head coach in his first full season.
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