All or Nothing
Pass or Fail
Right or Wrong
Good or Bad
Get it?
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The 2021 Purple's DNA has been to play almost exactly to the level of their opponent nearly every week. That has lead to lamentations during several Sundays and enjoyment during the rest. Enter the hapless Ursidae. Minnesota's vaunted offense did enough to win, but considering that the opposing defense would struggle to stop some college offenses that should not serve as a comfort.
But as bad as Chicago is, Minnesota managed to not play all the way down to their level. That the performance came a week after they ran circles around Pittsburgh for most of three quarters may not be a coincidence. Call me crazy if you like but there is a chance that the M.O. of the team is finally shifting. Could it prove to be too little, too late? Definitely. But to get to 9 or 10 wins it will need to prove true and this game kept that faint hope alive.
They got Ihmir Smith-Marsette his first professional touchdown as Jefferson was being triple covered. Credit for the advantage being taken should be split between Kubiak & Cousins. It was the best play of the evening for the Purple's offense.
Credit for the two-touchdown lead overwhelmingly needs to go the way of the defense. Was it pretty? No, but the collection of players they sent out managed to rattle the rookie quarterback into a touchdown-less game while holding Chicago's ground attack in check.
Yes, I know, they got that meaningless score as time expired but if it doesn't even matter in Vegas then why should we care about it?
People prefer not to have to wait for success but DJ Wonnum was the latest example that sometimes it takes more than one training camp to get comfortable and become effective. His three-sack performance against a quarterback as mobile as Field could be his breakout and should not be overlooked!
All in all, if the question were posed to fans that Minnesota would be winning 17 - 3 with five seconds left most would have taken that. More should have been achieved but don't lose sight of the team managing to break from their primary tendency just because there was sloppiness.
With two touchdowns and another potential play that could have been a long gain (AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PI) Kirk wasn't terrible but he was far less effective than even a week ago. Some of the onus for that falls on the offensive lines inability to slow the pass rush, but that's just one factor behind his struggles. The suspicion is that there were communication issues in trying to get the other receivers on track while playing calling can also bare some of the responsibility.
Even with the struggles, contrary to a quote by the coach, they did not pass "too much." That mentality may have exacerbated the challenges that the offense was trying to work through.