About 12 hours after a lopsided loss to the Packers, Vikings defensive end Brian Robison was candid when talking about the struggles of the defense, which he feels lacked fire after the Packers got a pick-six then quickly scored another touchdown after Christian Ponder's second interception.
"The mood was almost like some people had checked out," Robison said. "I'm just going to be blunt and say it can never be that way. This is a team that I've felt like all along has fought and scratched no matter what type of adversity we have faced and I felt like we didn't have that last night."
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes to help the home team build a 28-0 lead before the half. In the third quarter, after head coach Mike Zimmer let the team have it, the Packers pounded the rock with Eddie Lacy to score two more touchdowns and take a 42-0 lead.
"They were pretty much able to do whatever they wanted to do last night," Robison said.
The veteran also called for his fellow defenders to stop freelancing and start playing as a team.
"Bottom line is you go out there and do your job, you might not get the sacks and stuff like that, you might not get the interceptions, you might not get the tackles for loss," Robison said. "But if you're doing your job you give our team the best chance to win the ballgame, and that's really all that matters in this league, how many ballgames you win and lose."
A reporter asked him about the Vikings defense showing flashes but being inconsistent overall.
"Well, I think exactly what you just said," Robison said. "You summed it up. We're not consistent, and not playing consistent gets you six, seven, eight wins, which gets you nothing in this league. So we have to do a better job of making sure that every person is doing their job every single play and trying to strive for perfection, and if we're not doing that we're cutting ourselves short."
Robison said the Vikings must clear their heads over the weekend and come back ready to work.
"We've got to let it go and get ready for the next game and not play this way against Detroit," Robison said, "because if we play this way against Detroit, they're going to tear us a new one, too."
