The classical definition for Slobberknocker is a literal hard hit. I'm going to play off that somewhat in a more figurative manner. While in contrast, and maybe more obviously, the Naw's are things that shouldn't have happened and/or need to change.
Brightish-spot
Having to score more than 27 points is a lot to ask against any of the 31 teams and was obviously way too much to ask for today. Even though the defense couldn't keep San Fran beneath that, they did a very good job today. When faced with multiple short fields and even shorter rests they continued to show up. They didn't do well enough to stop the run but they played well enough overall for the team to win, had the offense shown up today. It's the one positive takeaway that I can extract and I don't think it's terribly off-base.
Back to the Board
The offensive line was better this year than last and with all the young players in the group, there is reason to be optimistic about their chances. BUT for the second time in the last month against a top team, they showed that there is A LOT of room for improvement. I don't think they were as bad today as against Green Bay but as the first facet of the offense, they couldn't get the job done again. So changes will need to be made, another two will come in through the draft and it may be better next Fall but tonight the scheme and the personnel showed that they need to be scrutinized.
8
Speaking of players that need to be reevaluated... Kirk Cousins will be the quarterback for Minnesota in 2020/21 but with another underwhelming performance it will be interesting to follow whether they look to extend him or not. A major factor will be how the draft shakes out. Spielman needs to shake the reluctance to address the position, possibly with a high round pick. I don't think it should be the top priority but if a highly regarded player slides or they get a strong opinion about one in say the third round then the Purple need to act on it. Another offseason of building rapport with Diggs, Thielen, Smith, Johnson, etc will help things get better organically and for most of the season, this was a top offense, lest we not forget. Off this performance and remembering the Monday night game though, it did not end well so a strange offseason lies ahead at the quarterback position.
Top Down
Maybe there's nothing the coaches could have done to keep the game closer or prevent the Fran defense from running roughshod over the offense. I'm highly skeptical of that possibility though. If none of the people who are paid to do the job could come up with anything else over the hours of the contest then there needs to be more restructuring. I highly doubt that Zimmer will be let go or even just not extended before next season, not off the playoff win, but to keep everything exactly as it is would be a mistake, as today's drubbing showed.
On the short side, but it's not intended to be an all-encompassing wrap of the pros and cons to extract from today's game. I think these are the main takeaways!
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