The last time Minnesota Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil faced Detroit Lions young pass rusher Ziggy Ansah it did not end well for the offense.
The second-year defensive end has exploded onto the scene and his breakout performance came in Week 6 when he torched Kalil for 2.5 sacks. Ansah's blazing first step made Kalil look so bad all game it led yours truly to compare the offensive tackle to an 18th century stone gargoyle.
Kalil has been terrible this season, to put it bluntly. Pro Football Focus has him rated as its 76th offensive tackle out of a possible 78. The analysis website graded him out positively in just two weeks out of 13. Of course, Kalil doesn't like PFF, dismissing the website as run by "random fans" who are "not credible."
It's not questionable to say that Kalil has struggled this season, by any metric, even by his own admission. However, he's played better as of late, allowing just one sack (on a stunt) the past three weeks.
"It's been going well," Kalil said, per The Star Tribune. "Obviously, it's been a battle for me but I'm a competitor and I'm going to fight through any adversity that I face. I think for the most part, the second half of the season I thought I've been playing a little bit better."
On Sunday in Detroit, Kalil can't afford a relapse from his improvement or Ansah will discombobulate Teddy Bridgewater in the backfield.
"He's a really big guy, obviously," Kalil said of Ansah. "He's got really long arms. He kind of reminds me of Aldon Smith from San Francisco. They're pretty similar. And (Ansah is) still pretty raw. He's got a lot of potential, so I'll be playing against him for a while. ... I definitely got my hands full."
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