The Minnesota Vikings were hoping for an improved wide receivers corps would make Christian Ponder's job a lot easier. The team drafted Cordarrelle Patterson in the first round to pair alongside the newly signed Greg Jennings who came over from the Green Bay Packers. Things were looking up for the Vikings until both receivers failed to impress in Week 1 as the team fell to the Detroit Lions.
Jennings put up three catches for 33 yards. Patterson had one catch for 10 yards. Ponder threw three interceptions attempting to get the ball in both receiver's hands. Things did not work out and no one looked to be on the same page. Jennings admits things did not work out as he was hoping for, stressing that there is plenty of room for improvement. Head coach Leslie Frazier is confident that the more time Jennings and Ponder spend together, the better things will eventually get.
"One of the reasons we acquired him was to help move the chains and also for his ability to run after the catch," Frazier said, via the Star Tribune. "There are some things that we can do a little bit different and we'll look at that and try to have a better plan when we line up against Chicago this week."
Ponder notes that he is still trying to build a rapport with Jennings and Patterson. Both receivers run routes differently than Ponder is used to in the past and he has struggled to put the ball where it needs to be.
"For us, it's getting on the same page," Ponder said. "Jennings attacks leverage and does a lot of movement with his body and his head, which is great, does a great job of getting open, it's just a little different when you watch him on film."
There were plenty of moments on Sunday where Ponder and Jennings appeared to be on two different pages of the playbook. On a third-and-11, Jennings ran left while Ponder looked right. The pocket collapsed and Ponder attempted to rush for two yards. Jennings notes that the Detroit Lions did nothing to limit his opportunities on the field; he just failed to make an impact.
"These are things you learn from," Jennings said. "It's the first game of the season. It's not our last game. Was this an important game? Absolutely. Is this a game where we put our heads down and throw in the towel? Absolutely not. You have to learn from the good games and the bad games."
