The Minnesota Vikings Need To Close the Gap
Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images
Selecting a piece from the Criterion Collection of reaction GIFs to perfectly sum up the Minnesota Vikings as of late is a slam-dunk. No. 1 with a bullet is “Breaking Bad’s” Jesse Pinkman cry-screaming “He can’t keep getting away with this!”
But the Vikings wriggled their way out of trailing after halftime after a worse opponent yet again. Minnesota can point to some dominant statistics, but most would agree they were fortunate – maybe even lucky – to finish Sunday with a 12-7 road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The Vikings played one of their best defensive games of the season, giving up just a total of 143 yards and 10 total first downs, making the Jaguars play like… well, the Vikings offense. Sam Darnold was particularly bad, with his three interceptions.
Jaguars come up with a red zone INT!
📺: #MINvsJAX on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/28OKavqWWQ— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
It’s hard to argue with 7-2, but it’s not the style Kevin O’Connell‘s team want to keep playing.
“Those are the types of games that good teams find a way to win, regardless of what it looks like all day,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell told the Associated Press. “And I’m proud of that, but absolutely a lot of things we need to correct and fix.”
It boils down to this: Minnesota’s defense is good enough to be the strength of a team that contends for a division and conference title. But it can’t keep stealing games single-handedly. They won’t keep getting away with it.
Now here’s for the good news… or maybe not? The talent on the offensive side is too good to go an entire game against a pretty bad Jaguars squad without a touchdown. Even if Darnold isn’t the QB he flashed in the first five weeks, he still has Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and now, T.J. Hockenson. That’s all great in theory, but also, if they can’t score a touchdown against Jacksonville, how much do those weapons matter?
We’re also seeing some red flags beyond Darnold. A week after showing well in his debut, tackle Cam Robinson took three penalties playing against his former team. Jones left the game in the third quarter with an injury, and while he came back, any hiccup is going to raise concerns for the oft-injured running back.
The red zone offense was horrible. When you have over 42 minutes of possession, you’re clearly moving the ball. The stats weren’t terrible looking when seen divorced from context, as Minnesota threw for 233 yards and rushed for 166 more.
But, whether it was interceptions, penalties, or bad blocks thwarting them, they couldn’t turn those yards into touchdowns. It felt like the play-calling was tremendous to get the Vikings into scoring position, but then became uncreative and predictable. It’s intangible, but there are just times when you’re watching and can just feel like there’s no chance of getting six points. It started to feel like that for the Vikings. Also, receiver Justin Jefferson is tremendous, but it felt like Darnold – instead of reading the defense and making the right play – just sort of forced the ball Jefferson’s way.
Minnesota’s not going to keep getting that sort of ball movement between the 20s every game, especially if Jefferson only goes for 48 yards. It’s obvious, but worth mentioning, that you have to capitalize against the league’s best teams in big games. You’re not playing the Jaguars in the playoffs.
But Minnesota’s stout, opportunistic defense is more than capable of saving the day. They forced three turnovers and were in control the whole way. The defensive backs are finding ways to make impactful plays at the right moments, whether it’s big tackles or clutch fourth-quarter picks.
The Vikings don’t need the offense to lead the league. They just need to close the gap between them and the defense so they won’t need to get bailed out constantly. We’re seeing that an OK offense – albeit one that makes opportune plays – with tremendous defense and special teams, is dominating the league in Kansas City. Defense can win championships, but they need help. And it starts by not wasting offensive possessions with careless play.
“I’ve got to do a lot better job to take care of football,” Darnold told reporters. “I think that’s obvious.”
Well, admitting the problem is the first step, at least.
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