The Minnesota Vikings lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mostly because they made too many mistakes. Losing the turnover battle by three and giving up costly penalties is too much to overcome and deserves a zero in the win column. While the defense didn’t play perfectly, they limited Tampa Bay to average performance at best.
Brian Flores Shouldn’t Hit the Panic Button
Baker Mayfield replaced Tom Brady as the organization’s starting quarterback, a considerable downgrade. Still, he did enough to beat the Vikings, although one could argue that the Vikings beat themselves. Mayfield made plays when he had to and played a much more conservative style of football than he used to, leading to a good start to his stint with the fourth team in his career.