3 Likes and Dislikes From Month #1.
Jhawthorn16
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The Minnesota Vikings fell to 1-2-1 on the year with a loss to the L.A. Rams this past Thursday night. The Vikings will travel to Philadelphia this Sunday for an NFC Championship rematch where both teams are off to disappointing starts and both teams need a win to get their season back on track. Today I want to look at three things I’ve liked and three things I’ve disliked so far from the Vikings, and I will comment on why I like some of these things and how to fix some of these things.
Like #1: The offense has proved they can win a shootout.
Perhaps the most surprising thing the Vikings have shown this season is the offensive firepower the team possesses. While many fans had high expectations for what this offense could do, I don’t think many people expected the offense to be forced into shoot-out after shoot-out this season. Cousins has delivered, putting the Vikings in position to win against Green Bay and had a chance to drive against the Rams before he was blindsided and stripped of the ball on the final drive. Adam Thielen is on pace to put his name in the record books, putting up over 100 yards per game and snagging over 10 catches a game as well. Stefon Diggs hasn’t had Thielen’s statistics but has been an impressive deep threat for Cousins and an explosive force for the offense.
Dislike #1: The run game/offensive line has been disappointing.
The Vikings run game has struggled, but you could find different reasons for this. One very viable reason is the fact the Vikings have played from behind in three of their four games, meaning the run game couldn’t be used. The main reason I believe the Vikings haven’t gotten a run game going is the offensive line looking terrible. The o-line has been injured in various spots, but Mike Remmers at guard isn’t working and Pat Elfein is just starting to get back to full health. Rashod Hill has been outplayed by his backup, the rookie Brian O’Neil. The run game hasn’t been a threat all season, unless it’s Kirk Cousins, as he is the team’s leading rusher. If the Vikings want to get to the playoffs and make a championship run, they will need the run game/offensive line to be decent at least.
Like #2: The pass rush has been a lone bright spot.
This Vikings defense hasn’t looked good (we will get there in a bit), but the defensive line has been the lone bright spot for the unit. With Everson Griffen being gone with his mental health issues, the line has still produced well. Joseph has been a force as always, Hunter has stepped up into the #1 edge rusher role well, and Stephen Weatherly has played well stepping up to be the #2 edge rusher. All of the starting four defensive linemen have received good grades from PFF, and the only real “down” game was the embarrassment against Buffalo. The Vikings pass rush has looked good, but they need a few more seconds to get home. This brings me to dislike #2.
Dislike #2: The secondary looks terrible.
First off, Trae Waynes has been banged up all season with ankle issues and no a concussion, so that isn’t good. Xavier Rhodes has looked bad against the likes of Kelvin Benjamin and Devonte Adams, and when he was having a good game against Brandon Cooks he got a dumb personal foul penalty for kicking a flag, and while he was sidelined the Rams torched Trae Waynes for a deep touchdown. Sendejo has been caught flat footed a few times and was beaten deep, and while Mike Hughes has shown flashes of greatness, he is a rookie and is going to make rookie mistakes. Overall, the secondary needs help and a lot of it. I’m curious why the Vikings signed George Iloka, since I haven’t seen him play at all in a secondary that is desperate for help.
Like #3: We’ve been in all of our games (Except Buffalo).
This is what should give Vikings fans the most hope. The Vikings offense in two of the past three games, the Vikings offense has had a chance to win or tie the game late. That’s good. The team is a kicker away from being 2-2. Now, 1-2-1 is worse than 2-2, but this team has been in most of its games, and if the defense can fix some of its issues, the team can go on a big stretch of wins heading into December.
Dislike #3: We should be 3-1 right now, but we aren’t.
This contradicts what I just said, but this team should’ve beat Green Bay and Buffalo. Daniel Carlson may have legitimately cost this team a playoff spot this year. The Vikings played their hearts out in Green Bay and still settled for a tie, and then went back home, just to get blown out by the Bills. The Bills are the worst team in the NFL, and the Vikings chose this game as the “lay an egg” game this year. The Vikings now have to scratch and claw just to get into the Wild Card discussion, and the games against Chicago now look like they will decide the division.
The Vikings have been a curious team this season, with the offense looking like the dominant unit on the team, and the defense looking like something that is holding this team back. I like to make predictions, and my prediction for the end of the year right now is this team won’t be playing in January. This season is off to a disappointing start, but there are still 12 games to be played. SKOL!