Vikes win ugly

By Jim Souhan

The Vikings blew another lead, allowing another go-ahead touchdown late in the game in the left side of the end zone.

This time, thanks to a unit that has performed well for about 117 of its last 120 minutes, the defense had a chance to redeem itself.

Despite another unsightly offensive performance, the Vikings beat Tampa Bay when Anthony Barr caused a fumble, then returned it for a touchdown in overtime.

The Vikings won, 19-13, but even a victory prompted questions:

-Why do the Vikings still use Matt Asiata at running back so much despite the clear superiority of Jerick McKinnon?

-Why have the Vikings looked so confused on defense when trying to stop late-game drives the last two weeks?

Actually, the third of those three is the most explainable. Bridgewater is playing like a typical rookie quarterback. He displays his strengths one play, his weaknesses the next.

What's more galling is that offensive coordinator Norv Turner keeps playing the limited Asiata instead of McKInnon, limiting an already-limited offense.