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Their best player is suspended. Their quarterback has a broken foot. Their Pro Bowl tight end needs hernia surgery. And their left tackle looks lost.
No wonder everyone wondered about Teddy Bridgewater's nerves Sunday.
Bridgewater's readiness for the job should rank low on the list of concerns facing the Vikings offense right now. The rookie's debut came sooner than the Vikings wanted, their hand forced after Matt Cassel suffered a broken foot in a loss at New Orleans.
The timing and circumstances put Bridgewater in an unenviable predicament: Down 10, on the road, in one of the loudest venues in the NFL, against a defense that loves to blitz, with no semblance of a running game.
The kid did fine.
He didn't look nervous or act nervous. Or play scared.
Bridgewater showed poise in the face of steady pressure. Rather than tuck the ball and run for dear life, he kept his eyes trained downfield in search of an open receiver. Sure, he missed his target on some throws, but the composure he displayed in the pocket with defenders breathing down his neck felt encouraging.
Now he needs some help. That's where this discussion becomes disconcerting.
Adrian Peterson is gone and, in his absence, the Vikings can't run the ball. They averaged 2.7 yards per carry Sunday and 2.8 in a loss to the New England Patriots the previous week.
It's funny how some fans devalue the running game until their team can't run the ball. Now panic has set in.
Matt Asiata has obvious limitations and rookie Jerick McKinnon is raw and/or hasn't earned the coaching staff's complete trust as a runner. The team should look under every rock in search of a veteran running back who can step in and become a viable threat, if that possibility even exists.
Offensive coordinator Norv Turner also should utilize Cordarrelle Patterson in that capacity. Patterson is their best offensive talent. He took a pitchout 67 yards for a touchdown in the season opener. Why not line him up in the backfield five to seven times a game? Now is the time for creativity.
Patterson's involvement in the offense becomes even more critical with news that tight end Kyle Rudolph needs abdominal surgery and will miss at least six weeks. That means the Vikings — and Bridgewater — will be without two of their top three playmakers.
Better protection from his line would help matters. Specifically, the Vikings need left tackle Matt Kalil to snap out of his funk or fix whatever it is that's dragging him down like an anchor.
His decline is both precipitous and concerning, from Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2012 to the lowest-rated left tackle in the league, according Pro Football Focus.
Kalil gave up five quarterback pressures Sunday. He got beat on an inside rush that resulted in Cassel absorbing a big hit to the gut.
Kalil then got beat on outside pressure, forcing Cassel to flee the pocket on a scamper that ended with him limping off the field because of a foot injury.
Later, Saints pass rusher Junior Galette drove Kalil backward, causing Bridgewater to trip over Kalil's legs for an 8-yard loss in the red zone. Kalil gave up two additional pressures that forced Bridgewater to scramble.
What gives?
"He allows one play to affect the second play, sometimes," Zimmer said. "He needs to be like a cornerback sometimes — have a little short memory, forget it, let's go."
By his own admission, Kalil had a disappointing 2013 season. And now he looks overwhelmed at times. The Vikings need to solve this for the sake of their rookie quarterback's sanity.
"He's got all of the physical tools to do it," Zimmer said of Kalil. "I'm not saying it's mental, but I just think that sometimes when he has a bad play … it's like the golfer when he misses the putt and then he goes up on the tee box and hits a bad drive. We're all going to have bad plays. Now he can't compound it by making another mistake."
The Vikings have not scored a touchdown in seven quarters, and circumstances have radically changed the look and perception of their offense. Peterson, Cassel and Rudolph are gone. And now it's Teddy time.
The rookie handled himself well in his debut. That's encouraging. What happened around him felt more unsettling.
Chip Scoggins chip.scoggins@startribune.com