Eight Thoughts Following Minnesota’s Week 8 Win over Arizona
K. Joudry
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The Vikings stand at 6-1 after Week 8. Frankly, I didn’t expect to be able to type those words at this stage in the season. My skepticism aside, Minnesota’s Week 8 win puts them in an excellent position as the season get to its halfway point.
The next game will take place in Washington, so Kirk Cousins will have an opportunity to get a win over his former team. What are the main takeaways from the most recent game as we look ahead to the rest of the season?
Unpacking Minnesota’s Week 8 Win
1) Was that Cousins’ best ever run in the NFL?
2) What more can we say about Za’Darius Smith? He has easily been this team’s best free agent signing and, probably, the team’s best defensive player overall. His 3 sacks put him at 8.5 overall, meaning he has gotten the first contract bonus. Just imagine what this defense will look like if Danielle Hunter starts to play like his normal self.
3) It may be time to start worrying about Greg Joseph. Yet another blocked field goal and – even worse – a missed PAT at a crucial moment. Hitting the extra point near the end was of huge significance since it would have pushed the score to 9 points, thereby giving the Vikings a two-score lead. Minnesota’s chances of snagging the win in Week 8 would have greatly improved with the PAT; thankfully, it didn’t matter in the end, but there is still some reason for concern. What are the chances Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is interested in adding a kicker before the deadline?
4) Arizona scored 26 points. That’s the most anyone has scored on them. Even still, it was the defense’s best game of the year. The Cardinals only had 78 rushing yards and the Vikings pass rush was excellent. Well done, Ed Donatell.
5) It’d be hard to overstate the significance of generating turnovers. One interception for each of the starting safeties. Good to see Harrison Smith snag one. The veteran has had a relatively quiet season. My hope is that we’ll continue seeing huge plays from the future Hall of Famer.
6) Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison looked powerful and explosive. As a team, the Vikings had 173 rushing yards. Cook had 111 (5.5 YPC), Mattison had 40 (8.0 YPC), and Cousins had 22 (5.5 YPC). In theory, that kind of success ought to help the team solve their play action struggles.
7) The Packers are tied with the Bears at 3-5. That’s another sentence I didn’t think I’d be writing at this stage in the season. Full disclosure: I didn’t watch the Packers/Bills game last night. Nevertheless, a quick peak at the stats suggest that Josh Allen didn’t have his best stuff. That reality didn’t stop Buffalo from taking down Green Bay. Minnesota’s Week 8 win helps them to build an even larger lead in the NFC North.
8) Some scattered stats and facts from the game:
- Patrick Peterson led the team with 3 PDs; Cameron Dantzler led the team with 9 tackles.
- The Vikings picked up 25 first downs: 11 on the ground, 11 through the air, and 3 by penalty.
- The Cardinals picked up 25 first downs: 5 on the ground, 17 through the air, and 3 by penalty.
- Minnesota had 10 penalties for 86 yards.
- The time of possession was almost even. 30:33 for Arizona and 29:27 for Minnesota.
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