The Vikings Have Plenty Of Flaws To Fix
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
If someone said the Minnesota Vikings would be 2-0 to start the year after all that happened this offseason, no one would have believed them.
Congrats to you, hypothetical soothsayer. After Sunday’s 23-17 home victory over the San Francisco 49ers, the Vikings are flying high, and there’s plenty of excitement to be optimistic about the team’s chances. However, fans should practice some caution before getting too carried away with Minnesota’s projections moving forward.
Next up is a home matchup against the 2-0 Houston Texans. That team featured the NFL’s top rookie on both offense and defense from last season. Then there are two match-ups against NFC North opponents in the next three games. It won’t be easy, and there’s a real chance that Minnesota could slide just as easily as they could thrive.
Let’s start with the positive.
The Vikings are 2-0, undefeated. I know it’s already been said, but it bears repeating: it’s a bit unexpected. One of their wins was against the reigning NFC Champion. The biggest reason is that, both statistically and by the eye test, the Vikings’ defense is a force to be reckoned with. Against the Giants, it shone throughout. Against the 49ers, the had a merely solid showing, but against a much better opponent.
Minnesota’s young linebacker core has been rock-solid, with Blake Cashman leading the way on Sunday with 13 tackles. The unit has also been great at forcing turnovers, having recorded an interception, fumble recovery, and a turnover on downs.
The motto appeared to be the “bend-but-don’t-break” method. Still, it bears mentioning that the 49ers moved the ball down the field pretty well, but gave the ball away at inopportune times.
If the Vikings didn’t create those game-changing turnovers, San Francisco could have easily dropped a bunch of points on Minnesota.
It appeared that the Vikings showed some vulnerability in stopping the run. The Niners’ offensive line is beefy, but Jordan Mason had 100 yards and a score on 5 yards per carry. It wasn’t the worst showing, but there were cracks in the armor.
Forcing turnovers is a skill, and the Vikings appear to have it. But it can’t be the entire crutch they stake their contention on when they play against some teams that aren’t as sloppy with the ball offensively.
Speaking of offense… are we sure we believe in Minnesota’s? Sam Darnold has been serviceable, throwing for exactly two touchdowns and one interception in both games. His 268 yards against the great defense that shut down Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets a week prior is notable. However, a big chunk of those yards came on that 97-yard bomb to Justin Jefferson. Credit to Darnold, he had to put it in the right spot, but the Vikings’ star receiver did a majority of the work after the catch to take it in for a score.
Without that play, we’re looking at just a 171-yard day from Darnold. That’s not entirely fair, because chunk plays are part of any good offense, but it certainly raised an otherwise pedestrian game to a very good one. While Ty Chandler’s solid showing picked up the slack, Aaron Jones simply wasn’t very good Sunday. His average yards per carry was 3.6, which is not what you want to see from a running back making Jones’ salary.
The Vikings, without a doubt, also have a fumbling problem. We can’t blame Alexander Mattison anymore, as he is gone now, but those slippery fingers are still at US Bank Stadium.
Darnold let two balls go, and Jones had another. Darnold also threw a pretty horrible interception to Fred Warner. Turnovers were the reason why the journeyman couldn’t stick at any of his prior stops. An opportunistic team like Houston is going to take advantage of that. A group like the Green Bay Packers, who will seek out those turnovers to make up for the absence of Jordan Love.
We’re not saying to not get excited. Be happy, the Vikings have earned this. But if Minnesota can’t capitalize on this momentum, this surprising start will be seen as a fluke. To be considered the real deal, the Vikings have to clean up their flaws and pass their next test.
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