Ten Things We Know about The Vikings After Week 10 in the NFL
Hard to believe, isn’t it? The majority of the 2024 NFL season is now behind us.
The Vikings are sitting on an impressive 7-2 record, in no small part due to some excellent coaching from Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores. Oh, and the roster’s ample veteran talent has had impressive moments throughout the season. Have we learned anything about this team that helps us to understand both where they’ve been and where they’re going?
The Vikings: Ten Things We Know After Week 10
1) Sam Darnold is a Good, Not Great, Option at QB
Truth be told, I was very skeptical of the deal to bring Sam Darnold to town. The veteran passer had fallen well short of the expectations that stand alongside a No. 3 selection, so why not just roll with Nick Mullens and then a rookie from the draft?
Well, the evidence has been plain to see throughout the year. For just $10 million — a bargain in the world of NFL QB deals — Sam Darnold has offered good play at the game’s most important position. Yes, the Week 10 effort was awful (prompting some speculation about signing Ryan Tannehill), but Mr. Darnold hasn’t been too bad in 2024. For the season, Darnold has completed 68.6% of his passes for 2,141 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
2) Aaron Jones is a Breath of Fresh Air
What a luxury it is to have a balanced offense.
Yes, Kevin O’Connell — the former QB — is always going to prefer moving the ball through the air. Having Jones, though, allows for Minnesota to have some balance on offense. The former Packer is older (29) but is still one of the game’s best runners. His 142 carries have gone for 653 yards (4.6 average) and a pair of scores. He has also proven to be a threat as a pass catcher. Stud.
3) The Free Agent Class was a Slam Dunk
Jonathan Greenard is a menace coming off the edge. Andrew Van Ginkel can do basically everything on defense. Blake Cashman is strong in coverage and is a capable blitzer. Stephon Gilmore has become the team’s CB1. Oh, and the aforementioned Jones is an excellent runner. Just brilliant work from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with this crew.
4) The Lack of Draft Contributors is a Hindrance
So far, the GM has proven to be bad at drafting. In time, perhaps, we’ll have a different perspective, but the opening three drafts leave plenty to be desired.
Go re-watch the loss to the Lions. Consider the impact of the recently-drafted players on Detroit’s end. Young, cheap players were making huge impacts on the game for the Michigan rivals while Minnesota succumbed to their first loss of the year. Just imagine if even a few of the earlier picks in 2022 really took off. What a difference that would have made.
5) Matt Daniels is Fully Earning his Paycheck
The special teams coodinator deserves a ton of credit.
Initially, it was rookie Will Reichard having a perfect season. And then in the game when there were some misses, Reichard went down with a quad injury. Not great, right? Even worse, All Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola also needed to get placed on the IR. Daniels responded by getting a perfect day out of John Parker Romo and (mostly) solid snaps from the new LS, Jake McQuaide.
6) The Defense Can Have Maddening Lapses
At times, the zone defense can get carved up. The issue largely flows from the pressure not getting home. Green Bay and Detroit found a way to do damage against Flores’ group. So, too, did the LA Rams get the best of the Flores defense. Something to monitor moving forward.
7) Justin Jefferson is the Cornerstone
Already knew that, didn’t you?
Now, the Week 10 game reminded us that really forcing things to Jefferson can lead to a bad time, but there’s no Viking who is in the same realm as Mr. Jefferson. The WR1 is sitting on 53 catches, 831 yards, and 5 touchdowns. He’s doing that with Darnold as his quarterback.
8) Harrison Phillips is Aging Like Fine Wine
The defensive tackles are far from perfect. Jerry Tillery hasn’t been as disruptive as hoped and Jonathan Bullard is almost exclusively getting snaps to shut down the run. Jalen Redmond gives the group a bit of sizzle, but it’s Phillips who really makes the group go. The DT1 is tremendously sturdy and rugged at the line of scrimmage, allowing for Minnesota to play some great run defense. He’ll turn 29 in January, but he seems to be getting better.
9) The Offensive Line Remains a Source of Debate
Think Dalton Risner should get inserted? You’re not alone. Plenty of folks think that improving the RG spot could happen with a personnel switch, but Minnesota’s leaders don’t seem to agree. Expect more digital ink to be spilled on this topic before it’s all said and done.
10) The Large Numbers are Flattering
The 7-2 record is impressive. So, too, is the 24.6 points-per-game average, good for 10th in the NFL. Meanwhile, the defense finds itself at 3rd in the NFL by allowing an average of 17.4 points against per game. Vikings fans will be hoping those trends continue.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.