Vikings vs Steelers, Week 4: The Jaw-Dropping Takeaways You Won’t Believe.MH

The Minnesota Vikings lost an international game for the first time in team history, losing 24-21 to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. Like J.J. McCarthy in the first two weeks of the season, Carson Wentz was under constant pressure, taking six sacks and being forced into an intentional grounding penalty on the final drive of the game.

For the second time this season, though, the Vikings’ run defense got shredded. The Steelers ran for 131 yards on 29 carries, helping keep the Vikings’ pass rush off balance and allowing Aaron Rodgers to get the ball out of his hands quickly.

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Minnesota falls to 2-2, with plenty of questions as they get prepared to fly to London to face the Cleveland Browns next week before getting a much-needed bye. The season is far from over, but a daunting schedule after the bye makes next week’s game more important than a team with championship aspirations would want in Week 5.

Here are some instant takeaways from the Vikings’ loss.

The offensive line is a disaster in numerous ways

The Vikings were hoping to see their offensive line play as close to full strength as they have all year. Instead, they lost center Ryan Kelly and right tackle Brian O’Neill early. Left guard Donovan Jackson missed the game with a wrist injury.

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With three starters down, the Vikings not only couldn’t protect Wentz, but they couldn’t open holes in the run game. The Vikings ran 20 times for 70 yards (3.5 yards per carry), made even worse considering 20 of those yards came on the opening drive of the game.

Kevin O’Connell said after the game that O’Neill will get an MRI on his knee. The worry right now is with his MCL, which isn’t ideal but also not the worst-case scenario. Kelly, meanwhile, suffered his second concussion of the season and his fourth since last season. His future could be in jeopardy.

The run defense might be an issue

When the Vikings got shredded for 218 yards on the ground to the Falcons in Week 2, much of it was chalked up to Bijan Robinson being an elite runner. But the Steelers, who entered Week 4 with the second-fewest rushing yards in the league and second-worst yards-per-carry average, found plenty of success. They kept the Vikings off balance, allowing the Steelers to keep their entire playbook open.

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The Vikings have been without Blake Cashman at linebacker the past three games, as he’ll miss at least four games with a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1. Eric Wilson is a solid backup, but he lacks the physicality and all-around impact that Cashman brings. Without him, the Vikings seem vulnerable on the run, which minimizes the 3rd-and-long opportunities that Brian Flores thrives in.

It might not matter who is at quarterback

After an efficient game in the Vikings’ 48-10 win over the Bengals in Week 3, Wentz got battered against the Steelers. He appeared to be favoring his hand in the second half and had to shake off a hit on a screen pass in the fourth quarter.

With the lack of a consistent run game and an offensive line that is banged up, Wentz was asked to do too much. It was reminiscent of what McCarthy looked like in Week 2 and most of Week 1, where the offense was completely off balance. That led to Wentz throwing two interceptions and getting stripped on a sack.

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Wentz did what he could in this game, completing 30 of 46 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns despite the turnovers, but it feels like it doesn’t matter who the Vikings start at quarterback right now. With the offense in total disarray, O’Connell’s quarterback-friendly system is getting destroyed. Asking Wentz or McCarthy to throw 46 times is usually going to be a sign that something went wrong in the game.

If the Vikings can get O’Neill and Jackson back, they can hopefully get ample protection and generate a reliable run game. Kelly coming back may be a taller task, but playing with three backups on the line for any extended period of time is a recipe for disaster.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings vs Steelers, Week 4: Instant Takeaways

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