The Minnesota Vikings Defense is Bending but Not Breaking
Despite some close calls, the Minnesota Viking defense has continued to show it will bend but not break. This leaves the team sitting atop the NFC North at 4-1. Despite the record, the defense has come under scrutiny for allowing opponents to stage comebacks. However, the blame for this does not rest solely on the shoulders of the defense.
A Recent Close Call
In three of their four wins this season, the Vikings have engineered amazing stops and held on to narrow leads, most recently against the Chicago Bears. Chicago’s often inconsistent quarterback, Justin Fields, engineered drives that left Vikings fans stunned by the potential loss to a division rival. The Bears were able to steal momentum away late in the 2nd half, scoring a touchdown.
This forced the Minnesota offense to battle back and score. The Vikings were able to score on a quarterback sneak by Kirk Cousins and tack on a 2-point conversion. Fields followed it up by developing a drive late in the 4th quarter that had the potential to tie the game. However, once again the Viking defense came up big and secured the win, 29-22, as Cameron Dantzler stripped the ball from Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
A Tale of Two Offenses
In prior seasons it felt like the Vikings were always on the losing side of those close games, most notably Dallas and Detroit last season. It has fans second-guessing Ed Donatello’s new defense. Is the defense really that good? Or are they just an opportunistic unit that has gotten lucky a handful of times?
The defense cannot take all the blame. The amazing 1st half offense stalled out in the 2nd half. These quick offensive outings, that don’t create sustained drives or points, lead to defensive fatigue. This gave the Bears more chances to come back.
The offense might be more aggressive than it was under the previous coach, Mike Zimmer, but it still lacks that killer instinct and urgency. Before the half, the Vikings could have nailed the Bears’ coffin shut, but they didn’t. Near the end of the first half Cousins was sacked on a 3rd and 4 and the drive ended with zero points – 5 plays for 25 yards that lasted 2:11.
The Vikings special teams also had a poor outing. Minnesota’s punter, Ryan Wright, kicked the ball a paltry 15 yards and a penalty assessed on the end gave the Bears amazing field position, starting at their own 48. They capitalized on that and scored another touchdown in a mere 46 seconds. The Vikings got the ball back with just over a minute left in the half, Cousins was able to get them in field goal range, but kicker Greg Joseph whiffed the 53-yard field goal.
A Second Half Slump
After the half things only got worse for the Minnesota offense. The Bears picked up speed, scoring on their 1st possession of the 2nd half. The Vikings seemed primed to score after a failed onside kick left them with excellent field position. The drive stalled, and Joseph’s 51-yard field goal was blocked.
Cousins went on to throw an interception and things were looking dire as the Bears got the ball back on the Chicago 30, down by only 2 points. This led to another Bears field goal. In case you didn’t keep track of those short, scoreless drives – a bad punt, 2 missed field goals, and an interception, the longest of which was 3:21 seconds.
The Best Defense is a Good Offense
Fortunately, the Vikings were able to bounce back with a touchdown and a forced fumble that secured the win. It begs the question of which side of the ball is a bigger issue. When the Vikings lost to the Eagles this season Jalen Hurts accumulated 400 total yards and fans lamented the terrible defensive playcalling. Many forgot that the offense had 6 drives that went 3 plays or fewer. How can your defense perform at its top level if it is never leaving the field?
During the Week 3 game against the Lions, the offense seemed to just stop producing and had 3 consecutive 3 and outs. They were able to score again and a late interception by Josh Metellus secured the victory. The defense once again bailed the offense out.