The Minnesota Vikings suffered their worst loss of the season last Thursday night. They fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 37-10, dropping them to 3-4 on the season.
Every phase of the team failed, but perhaps no one performed as miserably as the Vikings’ offensive line. According to PFF, Carson Wentz was pressured 17 times and took five sacks. He was battered by the end of the game, partially because the Vikings couldn’t run, either. They were held to 34 rushing yards on 11 attempts.
The Vikings’ line was labeled the “loser” of the game by Bleacher Report.
Minnesota had three backups in the lineup during Thursday’s contest, with only their starting guards still in place.
Technically, the Vikings began the evening with two reserves being forced into action, but that changed when left tackle Christian Darrisaw departed with a lingering knee issue.
Tackles Justin Skule and Walter Rouse simply couldn’t handle business, with center Michael Jurgens overwhelmed at the point of attack as well.
We’ll give Bleacher Report a pass for not diving deep into this game and seeing that it was Blake Brandel, not Michael Jurgens, who got the start at center, although that just reinforces their point.
The Vikings are hoping to get Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill back this week against the Lions. That will certainly help if both are healthy, especially with J.J. McCarthy set to start his first game since Week 2. But if the line can’t hold its own, it will be a long day and season for McCarthy, possibly further hindering his development.