Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Second quarter recap and third quarter discussion

It’s halftime in Tampa, and your Minnesota Vikings trail the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 17-6.

The Vikings started the second quarter with a first-and-goal situation, and they cashed in via the legs of Dalvin Cook who went over from a yard out for his 14th touchdown of the year. Dan Bailey missed the extra point. . .again. . .and the lead for the Vikings remained 6-0.

The Vikings’ defense forced a three-and-out on the next Buccaneers possession, giving them the ball back quickly after their eight-minute, 14-play scoring drive. They got themselves into position to score more, but following a sack on third down Dan Bailey pushed a 36-yard field goal attempt wide to the right and the score remained 6-0.

Tampa took advantage of the Vikings’ miscue, getting on the board courtesy of a 48-yard bomb from Tom Brady to Scotty Miller for a touchdown. Ryan Succop hit his attempt at an extra point, and the Vikings suddenly found themselves down, 7-6, midway through the second quarter.

The Buccaneers scored again late in the second quarter, with Ronald Jones going in from a yard out. Succop hit the extra point again, and the Vikings suddenly found themselves down by a score of 14-6.

On the final offensive play of the half, the Vikings actually got called for defensive pass interference on a Hail Mary. . .another absolute garbage call. . .and Succop added a field goal from 18 yards out to make it 17-6. That’s your score at halftime.

The Vikings have held the ball for over 20 minutes in the first half, yet find themselves trailing by 11. The offense has been picking up big chunks of yardage and have been inside the Tampa 35 on nearly every possession they’ve had so far. But the two missed field goals and the missed extra point have been a huge difference.

Dalvin Cook has already picked up 78 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. That’s a pretty solid showing against the league’s #1 rush defense. Kirk Cousins has been efficient, completing 10-of-15 passes for 97 yards. Adam Thielen has led the way for the receivers, with two catches for 30 yards. Justin Jefferson has a pair of catches for 22 yards on the afternoon so far.

Tampa Bay gets the ball to start the second half, and they have a 17-6 lead over the Minnesota Vikings at Raymond James Stadium. Come join us for the third quarter of play!