When the Minnesota Vikings trailed the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 by a score 21-7, the chances of any comeback felt slim, if not laughable. A first-half stretch of penalties, mainly on the offensive line, was downright comical as every play seemed beset by a flag.
The Vikings looked goofy.
After halftime, they cleaned up the infractions to an extent, causing the offense to actually move the ball unimpeded by dumb penalties. Quarterback Kirk Cousins kept the passing game mostly underneath – for some reason – and Minnesota’s offense chipped away at a much improved Bengals defense.