Minnesota’s Offense-By-Committee Approach Is Fueling Their Success
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings’ plethora of offensive weapons – specifically the second, third, fourth, and fifth options on any given snap – have given the team a major boost in their scoring this season. After capping off a 31-29 victory at Green Bay on Sunday, the Vikings now sit at 4-0 with a division victory and three signature wins early in the 2024 campaign.
Through four games last season, Minnesota averaged 25.75 points per game with Kirk Cousins at the helm. In 2024, the Vikings are averaging 29 points, and much of the credit has to go to the surprising production from Sam Darnold, as well as the star power of receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones. But it’s also not even close to just being them. Their depth options have helped the team transition to the NFL’s fourth-best scoring offense and 10th in yards (340.8) through the season’s first quarter.
Wide receiver Jordan Addison made an impact on Sunday after being out since the second half of Week 1, allowing Jalen Nailor to emerge as a bonafide WR3. Both have proven to be legitimate deep threats. Nailor’s three scores in four weeks attest to that, and the pair are each averaging over 17 yards per reception. Nailor’s three touchdowns are tied for the most by any receiver in the NFL, despite ranking 114th in the league with eight catches. Darnold doesn’t call his number a ton, but when he does, Nailor shines.
Maybe we didn’t see this coming from Nailor, at least at this level, but the Vikings did.
“Speedy [Jalen Nailor] for us is gonna be a big time — who’s gonna surprise somebody this year,” Jefferson said to Vikings Wire in August.
Even further down the lineup, tight ends Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt have shown they can make a play until T.J. Hockenson is back in the lineup. Even Trent Sherfield is averaging over 11 yards per catch and has proven capable.
Then, of course, there’s Jefferson. At the moment, he’s averaging a pedestrian-for-him 89 yards per game, with three touchdowns. Still, he’s showing that Minnesota’s offense doesn’t require a 150-yard explosion for them to put up points. With Darnold spreading the ball around, the other receivers can pick up the slack. The Vikings’ deep-play ability and the abundance of players that defenses must cover will open up more space for the stars to shine.
The system doesn’t just work, it works for the team’s personality. Nobody is, at least publicly, asking for more. Just take Sunday’s contest.
Jones had 22 carries for 93 yards against Green Bay. That’s a pretty solid day. But he could have easily said he wanted to be even further involved. He came into the game, against his former team, saying that he wanted to score a touchdown so that he could do the traditional Lambeau Leap into the stands. He didn’t get into the end zone, and the one rushing touchdown of the game went to Addison. But he seemed happy to have had the rest of the team get some of that glory.
“As we were taking that last kneel, the Packers defense, they’re like, ‘Ahh, we didn’t let you Lambeau leap here. We didn’t let you Lambeau Leap in our house,’” Jones said to the Associated Press. “I’m like, ‘You guys are worried about me Lambeau Leaping? You guys should be worried about the score.’”
That’s all the Vikings are worried about: the score, and they’ll do anything to help each other. Remember Jefferson’s 97-yard touchdown reception a few games ago? It was a great throw and catch by Darnold and Jefferson, respectively. But Jefferson doesn’t make it to the end zone unless Nailor sprints down the field to throw a critical block. It was a favor that “Jets” paid forward on Sunday, when the star wideout committed to a block on Addison’s sprint to the end zone.
Next up is a test against a tough defense against the New York Jets in London. Not only are the Jets a stout team, but the strange kickoff time, location, and jet lag could prove difficult for the offense. But the first four games suggest that someone is bound to step up and make up for those disadvantages.
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