Purple Q&A: Bad Giants, Expectations Going Forward, Replacing Jordan Addison
Today, on September 12th, PurplePTSD’s Janik Eckardt answers a trio of questions about the Minnesota Vikings. If you have questions for future editions of the Purple Q&A, please email them to [email protected].
Purple Q&A: Bad Giants, Expectations Going Forward, Replacing Jordan Addison
Let’s get into it.
Q: The Giants are a bad football team, but should it change how we view the Week 1 victory?
A: It is hard to win games in the NFL; even bad teams can’t be ruled out in any given week. The Vikings did their job. Winning a game by three scores is all we could have asked for. Perhaps we should have that conversation if a late-game field goal sealed the victory, but that’s not how it played out. The Vikings beat their opponent convincingly, looking good on both sides of the ball.
Especially encouraging was the running offense. New starter Aaron Jones registered 94 yards on 14 carries, having an outstanding average of 6.7 yards per carry, despite playing against New York’s best unit, the defensive line.
It was a near-flawless game (the fumble and a couple of penalties should be cleaned up), and the Vikings did what the schedule asked them to do, and doing it in dominant fashion should erase all theories of a fluky win.
Q: Does the first win change the expectations for the remainder of the season?
A: Winning the season opener is always a big step for NFL teams. However, no week helps predict the remainder of the season less than Week 1, as our colleague Tom Rudelius emphasized in his analytics article.
The good news is that the ceiling seems pretty high. Kevin O’Connell’s group looked like a solid football team going forward, which is in contrast to the low win projections from various outlets and the betting odds. Minnesota surely didn’t look like a team that should be expected to have one of the highest draft picks next April.
Now, the expectations could be elevated if we knew that Sam Darnold’s play was sustainable and that the defense could stymie better quarterbacks. The upcoming opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, will provide more clarity on that. At this point, getting the hopes up is premature.
Q: How do the Vikings compensate for his absence if Jordan Addison can’t play on Sunday?
A: Jordan Addison missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday after suffering an ankle injury against the New York Giants. In the previous three weeks, he also recovered from a sprained ankle, but it didn’t seem to bother him too much during the season debut. He could still suit up on Sunday, but it should be viewed as unlikely.
His absence would be a massive downgrade. T.J. Hockenson isn’t eligible to return from his stint on the PUP list because of a torn ACL until Week 5, leaving Justin Jefferson as the only available player of the dynamic trio.
Jalen Nailor, who starred in training camp, would be in line for a bigger role on the opposite side of Jefferson, and Brandon Powell would be asked to do what he did last year: step up. Rushing the ball is another element, but the 49ers dominated the rushing attack of the New York Jets which is concerning for the Vikings.
Long story short, the Vikings need backups and other areas to take on a more significant role. Supporting Jefferson is crucial.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt