The Early Season Vikings Aren’t Dead
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Over the last six weeks, the Minnesota Vikings struggled to wade through the shallow end of their schedule. Sure, they won a string of one-score games against the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, and most of the AFC South, but these victories were more tenuous than they should have been. These mediocre performances led fans to resign themselves to the idea that they’d never see the September Vikings again.
You know, the Vikings that opened the season by beating up on an inferior New York Giants team, survived a slugfest against the San Francisco 49ers, and punched C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans in the mouth. Even the version of Minnesota that piled on big first-half leads against the Green Bay Packers, only to go on to make things way more interesting than necessary, was nowhere to be found.
So Sunday’s 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons was about much more than vanquishing the Ghosts of QBs Past in Kirk Cousins. It was even bigger than going to 11-2 on the season, keeping a No. 1 seed in play. It was about the glorious return of the Early-Season Vikings to US Bank Stadium.
Constantly prevailing in one-score game provides its own level of confidence, but the Vikings hadn’t had a statement win since, arguably, Week 3. Instead of holding onto a win, they convincingly dropped the Falcons from a playoff spot to outside the bubble. And there are so many more parallels to September’s team.
For example, the version of Sam Darnold that took the NFL world by storm is back.
Credit to Darnold, he had already gotten over his mid-season bout of Sam Darnold-ness before Sunday. He was riding a three-game streak of having multiple touchdown passes and zero interceptions, a span over which he lost one fumble. A huge improvement over six turnovers in Weeks 9 and 10, but this Darnold felt more of a game manager than a game-changer.
While Darnold isn’t going to get hyperbolic MVP love like he did in September, he was perhaps even more scintillating than his 349-yard, five-touchdown stat line even suggests. Deep Ball Darnold was back, completing passes of 52, 49, and 42 yards. His 52-yard toss to Justin Jefferson was less notable for his arm strength, and more for the improv ability after avoiding a sack.
DARNOLD JETTAS 52-YARD TD 🚨
📺: #ATLvsMIN on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/ZywUjIuoD4— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
Hell yeah, that’s the Darnold we loved watching at the start of the season. His explosive plays (pointedly, in front of the QB who never could quite color outside the lines like that) in crucial moments were missed, and if that Darnold is back for good, the Vikings can face anyone.
Darnold’s not the only offensive star who’s “back.” You could say that about Jefferson’s 133-yard, two-TD day, though his recent streak of being “bottled up” was less an indictment of him and more of a defensive strategy/poison pill. But Aaron Jones‘ slump? That was real, and Vikings fans got to see him be a factor once again on Sunday.
Much has (rightfully) been made of Jones’ fumbling problems, but his overall productiveness had gone down significantly since the start of the year. In September, Jones averaged 116 yards from scrimmage over four games (5.8 per touch), scoring two touchdowns. From Weeks 5 to 13, he averaged 81 yards in eight games (4.7 per touch), with just three touchdowns.
But even with 15 touches (his fewest in a healthy/not-benched game since Week 2), Jones made his presence known. He ran for 73 yards and a score, adding another two catches for a total of 84 yards from scrimmage (5.6 per touch). And of course, most importantly, no fumbles. Or any turnovers, for the entire team, which is only the third time this season that’s happened.
While the defense gave up a season-high 496 yards, Minnesota was able to hold Cousins to zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Heck, Andrew Van Ginkel just missed getting his third Pick-6 of the season, nearly reviving another old trend. Getting just one sack might be seen as a negative against the immobile Cousins, as compared to early-season performances, but Brian Flores’ scheme still earned some timely turnovers and a crucial fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Whatever flaws the team had before pulling away in the fourth quarter, the Vikings showed that they were able to win with the same formula they dominated with early in the season. Three NFC North opponents in their final four games might tip the scales back to close games, but anyone who dismissed the September success of Darnold and the Vikings as a fluke should be put on notice. That version of the Vikings isn’t dead.
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