The Vikings Offense Needs to Add Explosiveness
Brett Peterson
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Minnesota is currently on a two-game losing streak after dropping games to Denver and Chicago before their bye.
It hasn’t been because of the efforts of the defense as they’ve given the Vikings every opportunity to win in these previous two losses. Brian Flores has that unit humming, but it hasn’t been the same story for the Vikings offense, as they’ve struggled to maintain drives and put up points.
The Vikings Offense Needs Explosiveness
An element that has been missing from the offense, pretty much all season, has been the frequency of explosive plays. This shouldn’t be an issue for a team that employs Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Addison, and other playmakers. Yes, Jefferson has been out since he was injured vs the Kansas City Chiefs and starting quarterback Kirk Cousins hasn’t played since October 29th.
However, the lack of successful downfield throws and overall execution to create an effective run game has really taken a toll on this offensive unit.
The Vikings only average 3.9 yards per carry and only have five rushing touchdowns on the season (thank you, Joshua Dobbs). Alexander Mattison has struggled mightily to find running room behind an offensive line that has really been outmatched so far this season against the run.
Cam Akers was making progress until he tore his Achilles. His replacement, Ty Chandler, has potential, but it doesn’t seem the coaching staff has 100% trust in him yet. In order for this offense to take the next step, they need to find some big chunk plays in the ground game.
Focusing towards the passing game, Joshua Dobbs has been hindered by turnovers the last few games, amassing five interceptions and also leading the league in fumbles for the season.
They haven’t been able to stretch the ball downfield, and when they’ve tried the execution has been poor. Addison has been taking tops off of defenses all season but it seems that has been dialed back since Dobbs has taken over the starting quarterback position.
The rookie receiver averaged just 6.3 yards per reception in Week 12 against the Bears. Of course, they did have the two deep passes to Addison on the first offensive snap of the game as well as the deep pass down the sideline in the second half, but neither play ended up being successful completions.
Fixating on the most recent games vs Denver and Chicago, Dobbs only averaged 6.3 yards per attempt during those two contests. Before these two losses, Dobbs averaged 7.4 yards per attempt during the games against Atlanta and New Orleans, both of which were Vikings wins.
To make matters worse, Minnesota’s longest play from scrimmage the last two weeks is the Ty Chandler fake punt vs Denver that garnered 31 yards. The current production from the offense is not sufficient enough to win ball games.
A potential contributing factor to this lack of explosiveness from the Vikings offense could be the lack of trust in Dobbs arm talent and decision-making. If O’Connell doesn’t trust his quarterback to make the right decision and throw an accurate ball, it may be time for a quarterback change. In my opinion, the Vikings may wait one more week to see how Dobbs and Jefferson gel on the field once he returns this week vs the Raiders.
Either way, if Minnesota wants to reach the postseason and make some noise when they get there, a need for more successful explosive plays is significant.
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