The Vikings offense struggled Sunday; there’s no ignoring that fact.

Any time you hold your opponent to 17 points in the NFL, you feel like you should have a good chance to win that game. But while defense is important, and the Vikings have a good one, you have to score points, too, and scoring three at home against the Lions won’t cut it.

The part of the offense that worried me most was the line. Teddy Bridgewater was sacked or hurried half the time he dropped back to pass, and no quarterback will play well under those conditions.

No matter how much the game has changed over the years, one thing that has remained constant from my playing is that quarterbacks will struggle under constant pressure. That was Seattle’s strategy in last year’s Super Bowl, and their constant pressure made Peyton Manning look pedestrian. The Giants beat the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl because they pressured Tom Brady. Even the greatest quarterbacks struggle under heavy pressure.

I believe Teddy Bridgewater is the Vikings’ future at quarterback, and everyone else I talk to believes the same thing. I think that he can be pretty special. But he needs protection from his offensive line. You don’t complete too many passes while lying on your back.

The biggest issue on the line is at the most important spot, left tackle. The Vikings took Matt Kalil fourth overall in 2012, and he has not played well this year.

I’m not an advocate for drafting an offensive lineman that high in the draft in general. Atlanta is starting sixth overall pick Jake Matthews at left tackle, and he was beaten badly by Jared Allen on Sunday. That’s hurting the Falcons. The Rams drafted Greg Robinson second overall this year, and he played only a handful of snaps until starting his first game Monday night — at left guard. The Rams didn’t spend a No. 2 overall pick to get a guard.

The top two picks in 2013 were tackles, Eric Fisher to the Chiefs and Luke Joeckel to the Jaguars. Joeckel looks like a bust. Jake Long was No. 1 overall a few years ago, and now he’s just a guy playing on his second team in St. Louis.

When you absolutely have to take an offensive lineman that high in the draft, you can’t afford to miss. For instance, I’d say Ron Yary was a success! The real difference-makers when you’re drafting in the top 10 are quarterbacks and pass rushers. The Vikings need Kalil to play like a cornerstone left tackle to justify their investment, and right now he’s not.

If the Vikings can fix their problems on the offensive line, the pieces for a good offense are there. They have a great coaching staff. Norv Turner didn’t forget how to coach an offense. Mike Zimmer is a great defensive coach. The coaching is there, and they have the right old-school coaching mentality. I loved hearing Mike Zimmer say that it’s not his job to please the players; it’s their job to please him. Bud Grant couldn’t have said it any better.

It’s up to the players. The Vikings are entering a stretch of the season with very winnable games. The Bills, Buccaneers and Redskins are no better than the Vikings. But it’s up to the players to execute and win the games, one at a time.

Fran Tarkenton is Minnesota Vikings analyst for TwinCities.com and the Pioneer Press. He is a former Vikings quarterback and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also is an advocate for small businesses and the founder of www.GoSmallBiz.com. Follow Fran at twitter.com/Fran Tarkenton.