The Vikings Showed They Can Hang With Anyone
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings’ undefeated season was never going to last forever. Minnesota moved to 5-1 and are now in second in the NFC North after a close 31-29 loss to the Lions on Sunday.
Now that the early-season win streak is over, it’s time to reflect. While Sunday was a disappointing loss in some ways, Minnesota fans can take solace in the fact that the team is in pretty good – just not great – shape.
If you told any Vikings supporter that they would start the season 5-1 back in August, they’d probably have jumped for joy… for having such a silly prediction to make fun of. Instead, reality has eclipsed even the most ridiculously optimistic prognostications Minnesota fans could have had.
They’re near the top of the NFC North, which is undoubtedly the best division in football. After this weekend, they’re clearly not the No. 1 squad. Until they knock off the Lions, Detroit is the team to beat. They clinched the division title in Minnesota last year, beating the Vikings in two of the season’s three final games. And then, despite the late comeback by the Vikings to make it close, they did it again this week.
Sure, this time was closer, and Minnesota’s not being dragged down by Nick Mullens or Josh Dobbs anymore, but there’s still a pretty obvious gap.
Quarterback Sam Darnold wasn’t great Sunday, going for 259 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. The Vikings have won with less offensive output this year, and the Lions have had some defensive success. But they were without would-be DPOY candidate Aiden Hutchinson and still provided a pretty solid pass rush against an offensive line that should have been able – on paper – to hold them in check
Running back Aaron Jones, despite being listed as questionable before the game, finished with 91 rushing yards and a touchdown. He wasn’t nearly as efficient in the second half as the first, but it’s a promising sign that he was even able to produce that much. If his health can continue in the right direction, it could bode well for a team that has relied on an inconsistent Darnold. The magic we saw for the first few weeks has faded a bit, but he was never going to be as great as he was early on.
What was disappointing, though, is the Vikings’ defensive effort. Yes, Jared Goff has been extremely productive, and the Lions have a great core of skill players around him. But, to lose in late fashion and to give up a season-high 31 points was simply not good enough. Ivan Pace’s touchdown was a bit of a band-aid that covered the bruising the unit took for most of the game.
Yes, the Vikings showed some weaknesses.
Still, there’s some good to be taken from this game, too.
Again, 5-1 is solid, and that is after the roughest six-game patch of their schedule. Minnesota’s next three games – at the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, vs. the Colts in Week 9, and at the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10 – are all winnable.
There are no givens with the NFL, as anyone who’s watched the last seven decades of Vikings football knows. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see Minnesota get through the first half of the season with a mark of 8-1 or 7-2. Again, that’s something a fan would have easily taken ahead of the year.
Despite its loss on Sunday, the Vikings also showed it could stay in games, even ones that they don’t play particularly well in. The Pace touchdown and the defense’s ensuing stop were almost enough to give them a victory in a game that was trending toward a blowout after being down 21-10 at the half.
The Vikings are also, at least for now, healthier than they have been in a while. Blake Cashman was listed as out with a toe injury, but there aren’t other significant players on the IR at the moment.
As mentioned before, Minnesota proved they aren’t as good as the Lions. What it is, however, is a surprisingly talented, well-coached team that is firmly in playoff contention in a deep NFC.
January 5 will see these two teams re-match in Detroit for the final regular-season game of the year. There’s a chance that the game will have playoff implications, and the NFC North title may even be on the line. But until then, no matter what the Vikings do, Detroit is still the team to beat in the division.
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