Since Week 1′s convincing victory over the Rams, in which the Vikings looked crisp and smart on both sides of the ball, they've lost Adrian Peterson, starting QB Matt Cassel and — from the sound of it — tight end Kyle Rudolph for considerable amounts of time.

They've also managed just one TD and 16 total points in that two-game span, both losses that appeared winnable with functional offensive play.

The depletion of personnel can be viewed as both an explanation and an excuse — different versions of the same sentiment, really — for the Vikings' poor offensive showings against the Patriots and Saints.

What seems fair to say is this: The Vikings — both players and offensive coordinator Norv Turner — have made the worst of a bad situation.

Rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater performed decently in relief of Cassel on Sunday, but he produced zero touchdowns. The running backs filling in for Peterson don't lack effort, but they haven't come close to replacing him. Turner, for his part, seems either reluctant to open up the play book with some more downfield passes or has quarterbacks who don't feel comfortable letting it go in his scheme. Either way, its resulted in a more predictable offense than the one we imagined we would see (and the one we were told we would see) from Turner. It has, at many times, been positively Musgrave-esque.

Offensive players in the locker room Monday said it was a matter of eliminating mistakes — there always seems to be one player (not the same player) off on a play — while continuing to put in the work. Wide receiver Jarius Wright talked of how the offense showed its potential in the preseason, though he also acknowledged that doesn't mean much now.

We often learn the most from ourselves and others during times of adversity. This certainly qualifies as such a time for the Vikings. It's early, but so far all we've learned is that a tough time can, in fact, get worse.