5 Instant Takeaways from Vikings at Giants
The Minnesota Vikings entered their season opener with various question marks. Considering the upcoming opponents, Week 1 was almost a must-win matchup for the Vikings, and they surely took care of business. Kevin O’Connell’s crew won in convincing fashion, which has been quite rare since he was named the franchise’s head coach.
5 Instant Takeaways from Vikings at Giants
Evaluations in Week 1 should always be taken with a grain of salt, but it undoubtedly was a dominant performance. Here are five things we’ve learned.
1. The Former Third Overall Pick Can Play
Sam Darnold is the team’s new quarterback and has that spot secured throughout the season because of J.J. McCarthy’s injury. After six years of underwhelming play in the league, a mature Darnold operated Minnesota’s offense; perhaps he has learned to avoid ghosts.
His final numbers show 19 of 24 passes completed for 208 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Darnold was sacked once when he held on to the football too long early in the contest. But his confidence rose quickly, and his offense was moving efficiently down the field.
There are still at least 16 more games to be played before we can make a final assessment, but so far, those who claimed he would have a Geno Smith or Baker Mayfield-like resurgence with better teammates and proper coaching around him can be confident about their predictions.
2. The Front Is Disruptive
The Vikings lost Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport, and D.J. Wonnum in free agency. At one point, the pass-rusher group consisted of Patrick Jones and Andre Carter.
Then, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah acquired Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency and continued his mission to rebuild the group in the draft, selecting Alabama’s Dallas Turner.
Daniel Jones was under constant pressure and ultimately took five sacks. The aforementioned trio and backups Jones and Jihad Ward played with the offensive line all day. Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and wingman Jerry Tillery also created some pressure. Van Ginkel added six points to the score when he sniffed out a Giants screen, jumped the pass, made the catch, and jogged into the endzone.
3. Vikings Need to Play Cleaner Football
The overall result was impressive. Still, the group made a plethora of mistakes, none worse than C.J. Ham’s fumble, handing the ball to the Giants in field goal range. Had the defense not stopped the Giants, the contest might have gotten some blue shades.
Last year, the fumble issues cost the Vikings multiple games early in the season. Darnold’s interception was unfortunate as the pass was tipped coming out of his hands. Not too much blame should be directed at him, but that play could’ve been costly in a closer game, and perhaps he should have pulled the trigger earlier.
In addition to the turnover problems, the Vikings committed seven penalties for 63 yards. Those also need to be cleaned up to avoid giving the opponent extra chances to continue their drives and avoid falling behind the sticks, making life harder for Darnold.
4. The Formula is Obvious
Two statistics show what the Vikings need to do to win games under head coach O’Connell. The coach is 18-0 when the Vikings at least break even in the turnover column, and he is 18-8 when his starting quarterback is actually starting.
Every team struggles with backup QB play, so that isn’t very surprising. Keeping Darnold upright is a major key for his potential breakout, and blocking will also play a role in his turnover numbers.
O’Connell’s game plans are so good that he will guide his team to victory, but only if his players take care of the football.
5. Forget the First Overall Pick
Just last week, some analysts and writers came forward with the idea that the Vikings could draft a quarterback next season if they ended up with the first overall pick.
Those talks were ridiculous from the get-go, just a few weeks after O’Connell called McCarthy Minnesota’s franchise quarterback. Also, the Vikings aren’t a bad football team.
The Vikings might not be real contenders for the Super Bowl, but they are playing in a league different than the Giants or the Panthers, who the Saints blew out.
Janik Eckardt’s 5 Predictions for the 2024 Vikings
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