Matt Kalil knew he was struggling earlier this season. Through the first three games, the Vikings left tackle had allowed a league-high 14 pressures and he got beaten for a pair of sacks in a Week 3 loss to the Patriots. Kalil knew his opponents could sense that his confidence was waning a little bit.
"At left tackle, you get beat and you get down on yourself, those guys smell that blood," Kalil said.
After the Patriots game, Kalil got a phone call from his brother, Ryan, a center for the Panthers. Ryan knew his younger brother would be down after that performance and called to offer support.
The words of wisdom from afar helped, but more importantly, Matt Kalil said he cleared a mental roadblock that had been affecting his play. Kalil had offseason knee surgery, forcing him to miss OTAs. He said he was "probably still lagging a little bit" in training camp and the preseason and did not play up to his expectations. When Week 1 rolled around, he still wasn't feeling like himself.
"I'd get beat because I wasn't back to where I was. My confidence kind of diminished a little bit," Kalil said. "But I've had a few good games in a row now. I'm building that confidence back up."
In the past two weeks, Kalil allowed no sacks, one quarterback hit and four hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. The five total pressures are still not ideal for a blind-side protector. But the numbers suggest Kalil, a Pro Bowler as a rookie in 2012, may be heading back in the right direction.
"[It was] just a mental thing. My knee is fine," Kalil said. "I just had to get past that block and once I did, it's kind of getting a little easier now. And that's a good thing."
