Comics » The Minnesota Vikings sputtered into the second

EAGAN Chris Lindstrom Jersey , Minn. — quarter of their season after a concerning and humbling performance by their well-decorated defense in Los Angeles, raising questions about whether this team was still among the NFL’s elite and in contention for the Super Bowl.Sure, that game came against the thriving Rams, the league’s only unbeaten team behind an offense that has been borderline-unstoppable.This is the kind of challenge that coach Mike Zimmer’s group has so risen to, though, so the total of 556 yards posted by the Rams in that 38-31 victory was a jarring sight nonetheless. Zimmer went so far afterward as to bluntly declare he’d never overseen pass defense that poor in his entire career.More Vikings coveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Rookie Bradbury is central figure to Vikings’ overhauled offensive lineVikings depth at cornerback being tested, Hughes still not clearedPlayers to watch at Minnesota Vikings 2019 training campTop Tweets: Vikings WR Diggs makes push for All-NFL Style TeamThree games later, well, order has been restored.The Vikings defense has forced eight turnovers and allowed just five touchdowns while limiting opponents to only four conversions on 32 third-down plays. Not coincidentally, the Vikings won all three games. That included the 37-17 decision on the road against the New York Jets on Sunday.“It’s definitely a mindset,” defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said. “Definitely got back to it. We’re just trying to compile wins any way possible.”The turnaround has come just in time, too, because the Vikings (4-2-1) host Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints (5-1) this weekend. His will be a far more daunting presence than the past two games against still-developing rookies Sam Darnold of the Jets and Josh Rosen of the Arizona Cardinals.“This guy’s amazing,” Zimmer said, “When you talk about Hall of Fame quarterbacks, obviously he’s going to be one http://www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com/kaleb-mcgary-jersey , but he’s very cerebral, accurate. He’s moving well in the pocket. I was watching tape today on him like, ‘How old is this guy?'”7<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Upon Further Review: Vikings at JetsNoah K. Murray | USA TODAY SportsBrees, for the record, will turn 40 in less than three months. The Vikings could be trying to defend against his aerial attack with a 21-year-old, Holton Hill.With fellow rookie Mike Hughes out for the season with a knee injury , Hill was summoned to play on the outside at right cornerback after Xavier Rhodes sprained his ankle in the fourth quarter against the Jets. On the next play, Hill intercepted Darnold’s pass to set up a touchdown drive.“All the guys were saying, ‘All right, Hollywood, now it’s your time. Don’t let us down. Do you what you do. It’s just like practice,'” Hill said. “They gave us the defensive call, and the next thing I know, the ball is coming into my hands. Man, it was a blessing.”With Terence Newman done playing and part of the coaching staff, the Vikings can be grateful they were able to acquire Hill after aggressively pursuing him after the draft.The product of Texas was not picked after a positive drug test at the NFL scouting combine Kendall Sheffield Jersey , according to an NFL Network report.Rhodes was not seriously injured, Zimmer said, but there’s no position where depth is more valuable than cornerback, particularly when Brees and the Saints are coming to town. Zimmer credited Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Marcus Sherels for their work with Hill and the other young players at the position.“I wouldn’t say Holton has everything down pat, but you know he’s got a lot of physical attributes that can translate into being a good corner, and now we’re working on continuing to get better with technique, getting better with fundamentals, getting better with the knowledge of the game,” Zimmer said. PITTSBURGH (AP) — If Le’Veon Bell is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers later this month, he hasn’t let his teammates and coaches know.Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he hasn’t heard from the All-Pro running back, who told ESPN on Monday that he will end his standoff with the team around Pittsburgh’s bye week, which begins after the Steelers face the Bengals on Oct. 14.“I have not talked to Le’Veon and I really have no Le’Veon update,” Tomlin said. “It’s the best approach for us to focus on the guys which are here and working … we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Nothing has changed in that regard.”Bell is in the midst of an extended absence as an act of self-preservation when he and the Steelers could not reach a long-term agreement after Pittsburgh placed the franchise tag on him in the spring.Technically he is not holding out because he has yet to sign his one-year deal, a decision that is costing him more than $850,000 a week. Bell did not offer a specific date for his return http://www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com/john-cominsky-jersey , but if he comes in around Oct. 15 it would give him two weeks to show the coaching staff what he can do before the Steelers play Cleveland on Oct. 28.The two-time defending AFC North champions have slumped during Bell’s self-imposed sabbatical. Pittsburgh is 1-2-1 a quarter of the way through the season thanks in large part to sluggish starts that have forced them to play from behind and abandon the running game. The Steelers ran for 19 yards on 11 carries in a loss to Baltimore on Sunday night.Several of Bell’s teammates — particularly the offensive line — expressed frustration in early September when Bell opted not to rejoin the team in time for the opener, as he did in 2017. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hopes Bell gives Pittsburgh a much-needed jolt, but isn’t exactly expecting Bell to show up and save the day, whenever that day actually arrives.“If (Bell) can come back and help us and be ready to go, then we’ll be ready to welcome him back,” Roethlisberger said on his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan. “A lot of things were said earlier in the year, but that’s kind of in the past and we’ve moved on, and hopefully he’s moving on in the sense of getting back and ready to be with us.”Bell’s actual physical readiness is unknown. During the summer of 2017 he flooded his social media accounts with video of draining workouts. He was merely OK in his first 2017 appearance but quickly took off after that, eventually leading the NFL in touches and piling up 1,946 total yards.Concerns over his usage rate in 2018 perhaps hurting his value on the open market in 2019 played a role in Bell’s unprecedented move to remain away while the Steelers got off to their worst start since they dropped the first four games in 2013, his rookie season.That was also the last year Pittsburgh missed the playoffs. Though it’s still too early to panic, the way the Steelers have been losing has drawn major red flags for Tomlin. The defense is 30th in the league in yards allowed and 26th in points allowed and the offense can’t seem to get it going before finding itself in a hole. Pittsburgh has been outscored 42-6 in the first quarter this season.“We’ve got to get out of the gate quicker,” Tomin said. “You can’t spot people points in the National Football League. We’ve got to do a better job of starting game on both sides of the ball.”NOTES: The Steelers placed CB Nat Berhe on injured reserve with a torn pectoral and promoted CB Brian Davis from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. … WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (ankle) and ILB Vince Williams (hamstring) will be monitored this week and could play against Atlanta. … CB Mike Hilton (right elbow) and S Morgan Burnett (groin), both of whom did not play against Baltimore, may be available to face the Falcons.