After being the toast of the NFL last week, Minnesota’s starting quarterback Sam Bradford missed several team practices with knee inflammation and was eventually declared unable to play in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This meant number two quarterback Case Keenum was the starter and freshly promoted-from-the-practice-squad Ryan Sloter was the backup. The oddsmakers were quick to drop the Vikings’ chances from being 5.5 point underdogs to 11 points, and as the game unfolded, you could certainly understand why.

Despite the final score, this game could have been much more competitive, except for Viking penalties (14, but only 12 accepted for 136 yards), particularly defensive pass interference and holding: both Steelers touchdowns were made possible by Viking infractions.

While it’s undeniable that the Vikings’ offensive line has been much improved from last season, they are still not good enough to keep the pocket clean for as long as Keenum needed (Bradford appears to have a faster release than Keenum, so some of the pressure that got to Keenum might not have gotten to Bradford on the same play call). Names that got called far too often by the TV crew were Nick Easton and Mike Remmers — good offensive linemen almost never get mentioned in the course of a game, but linemen who get beat or get penalized get their names called.

Sam Bradford may be back next week, or as Judd Zulgad speculates, he may need longer to recover from the knee issue and that might be an indication on why the Vikings haven’t offered Bradford a contract extension (he’s in the final year of his current deal).

Further roiling the quarterback issues was this update from Ian Rapoport:

Although it didn’t make any difference in the game outcome, Vikings punt returner Marcus Sherels set the team’s career punt return yardage record during Sunday’s game. Running back Dalvin Cook briefly recorded his first career NFL touchdown, but he was ruled to be down at the 1-yard line on review. Fullback C.J. Ham scored his first career NFL touchdown on the ensuing snap. Last year’s first-round pick, receiver Laquon Treadwell, managed to get involved in the game, catching three passes and drawing a defensive pass interference penalty.

At the Daily Norseman, Ted Glover provided his post-game Stock Market Report:

Blue Chip Stocks:

Everson Griffen, DE: On a day when the defense was asked to shoulder more than their fair share, Griffen held up his end of the bargain. He had two sacks, and was bringing solid pressure off the edge all afternoon. He was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise dismal day.

Xavier Rhodes, CB: Antonio Brown had 62 yards on 5 catches today. Looking at some stuff on the Internet, it looks like when he was matched up on Xavier Rhodes, which was for a good chunk of the game, he was limited to 3 catches for 30 yards. There wasn’t a lot to appreciate in this game, but Rhodes was another bright spot, and between you and me I think Rhodes is the best cornerback in the game today, regardless of what anyone else says.

Solid Investments:

Dalvin Cook, RB: Cook had some tough runs today, and his quick start to the second half briefly got the Vikings back in to the game. He had 12 carries for 64 yards, including a 25 yard run that was initially called a touchdown, but was reversed on review. And that cost me six fantasy points. Not that I’m bitter, or anything.

Kyle Rudolph, TE: Rudolph led the Vikings in receiving yards today, with 45. he had 27 on a nifty one handed bobbling catch on a third and 20. That catch made me think that might be the spark to get the Vikings going. I was wrong.

Laquon Treadwell, WR: Treadwell had career highs in catches (3) and yards (33). I don’t say that to joke or mock Treadwell. I’m legit encouraged that he’s getting more involved in the offense, and I’m hopeful he can see more and more targets each week, especially in the red zone.

Junk Bonds:

The Offensive Line, Featuring Nick Easton and Mike Remmers: It felt like 2016 all over again, as Case Keenum was under pressure constantly, and Remmers was giving up more pressure than your local proctologist. Nick Easton looked like the biggest offender in the running game, as he got beat early and often, limiting Cook and the other backs all day.

Trae Waynes, CB: Trae Waynes had a really bad game, giving up another long pass this week, and a bad pass interference penalty, which went for 49 yards. Two plays, over 100 yards. He was benched for awhile, and it kind of feels like he’s heading to the dog house. We’ll see what happens if Tramaine Brock gets activated next week.

Case Keenum, QB: This feels almost unfair to give Keenum a junk bond rating, but even though he’s the backup QB, he could have played a lot better. On the one hand, 20/37 for 167 yards isn’t terrible for a backup, and he was running for his life a lot. But he airmailed several throws, and wasn’t able to make a throw when he needed to, save for the big Rudolph catch. And let’s face it, that throw was a bad throw, and Rudy made a heck of a play there.