3 Vikings reasons for concern after close victory over Jets in London
The Minnesota Vikings have been the biggest surprise in the NFL through the first five weeks of the season. They have shocked most observers by beating all five of their opponents and taking a 5-0 record into their bye week.
At the start of the season, it appeared that a 1-4 or 2-3 start would have been likely for head coach Kevin O’Connell’s team. Perhaps a win in the season opener against the Giants and a victory in the London game against the Jets. But the three games in between — at home against the 49ers and Texans and a road game against the Packers — appeared to be out of reach.
But the Vikings were clearly ready for all of their opponents and they have played with a lead all season. They trailed the Giants 3-0 in the season opener for about 4 minutes, but they have not trailed in any game since.
They have gotten excellent play from quarterback Sam Darnold, a player the Vikings signed to a one-year free-agent contract in the offseason. He had been with three other teams prior to signing with the Vikings and had never displayed consistency. However, O’Connell and quarterback coach Josh McCown have been able to get the most out of McCown.
Running back Aaron Jones has been an upgrade for the Vikings. They parted company with Dalvin Cook after the 2022 season because he had too many negative runs. They thought Alexander Mattison would do the job last year, but he was just ordinary. As a result, they signed Jones away from the rival Packers and the results have been quite explosive.
Additionally, they have the best wide receiver in football in Justin Jefferson, and it’s clear that he is a major difference maker. However, the rest of the season may not be a smooth ride.
Sam Darnold is bound to face some adversity
Darnold has proven to be a student of the game and has finally been able to play the way that many observers expected to see when he was the No. 3 selection in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
He has finally found a great work environment in Minnesota, and he has completed 87 of 137 passes for 1,111 yards with 11 touchdown passes and 4 interceptions. Darnold is able to read the defenses prior to the snap and audible to the proper play. He has delivered accurate passes on a consistent basis. The QB1 has also shown the ability to run out of the pocket when he is pressured and he has avoided making multiple mistakes.
However, now that the Vikings have the best record in the league, they will have a target on their backs and opponents will attempt to slow down Darnold any way they can. Prior to this season, having consecutive strong games was not in his repetoire, but he played four good to excellent games in a row before an ordinary effort (14 of 31 for 179 yards with 1 interception) in Week 5 against the Jets.
He is likely to have other average to below average games. Will he be able to do enough in those games to keep the Vikings on track every time out? It seems very unlikely based on his past record.
Can Aaron Jones remain in the lineup?
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Vikings could not depend on their running game in either of the last two seasons. They attempted to change that reality by making Aaron Jones a key part of their game plan every week.
In the early part of the season Jones gave the Vikings a terrific ground attack that complemented Darnold’s hot start to the season.
Through the team’s first five games, Jones has rushed for 350 yards on 71 carries and scored 1 touchdown with a long run of 39 yards. Additionally, he has caught 17 passes for 167 yards and 1 touchdown.
Jones had 29 rushing yards on 7 carries against the Jets and also caught 1 pass for 24 yards before he had to leave the game with a hip injury. He was not able to return.
The Vikings have their bye in Week 6 and O’Connell is hoping that the injury will not force Jones to miss significant time. Backup running back Ty Chandler is tough and elusive, but he is not as effective as Jones.
If the Vikings’ running game suffers, it will diminish their overall offensive play. It will give opponents multiple opportunities to double-cover Justin Jefferson and that will keep Minnesota from putting up explosive offensive numbers.
Can the defense play solid football all season?
Brian Flores is clearly one of the best defensive coordinators in football. The Vikings improved from one of the two worst defenses in 2022 to an average unit last year. This year they are one of the best defensive teams in the league even though ace pass rusher Danielle Hunter (16.5 sacks in 2023) left through free agency.
The Vikings signed Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard and those three have given the Minnesota defense consistency and versatility. Van Ginkel has already returned two interceptions for touchdowns, Cashman is one of the team’s best tacklers and Greenard can get after opposing quarterbacks.
However, there is some vulnerability with their pass defense. Opponents will certainly try to exploit that aspect in the coming weeks.
It seems quite likely that the defense will go through a downturn at one point. How they recover from an average game or two will determine how successful the team will be over the long run
The post 3 Vikings reasons for concern after close victory over Jets in London appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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