Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil didn’t have the best preseason, picking up personal fouls and giving up sacks to the opposition during the team’s exhibition games.
It’s easy to forget those things when a player comes out and plays at a higher level when the games start counting, but it gets viewed a bit differently if the player struggles. Kalil struggled against the Lions in the opener, which led to questions on Thursday about whether he was concerned about his level of play. Kalil admitted that his play “wasn’t a confidence booster” but that he wasn’t going to overreact to one bad outing.
“Playing well last year, people have higher standards, which is fine,” Kalil said, via Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. “It’s not something I don’t already know. I’m not freaking out. We’ve still got a long season, and I know I’m going to get better. I always have a [high] bar. No one’s going to say anything in the film room -- no coach is going to say anything -- I already haven’t told myself. I know what I need to fix. I got my mind straight this week, and I’m ready to get after it.”
Kalil played well enough last year that you’d have to expect him to get things straightened out. He’s got a tough matchup with Bears defensive end Julius Peppers this weekend, so the Vikings offense would prefer he make any needed fixes quickly in order for their offense to find its footing.