Wes Phillips' presence and being situational masters have catapulted the Vikings to a new level and a possible NFC North title

When you have two winning streaks of five games and seven games, there are a lot of things that will go into seeing that kind of success. That is where we are at with the Minnesota Vikings who started out 5-0 before losing two in a row and currently sit at 12-2. The Vikings have […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Fabian Moreau (23) and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill (54) celebrate a play against the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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When you have two winning streaks of five games and seven games, there are a lot of things that will go into seeing that kind of success.

That is where we are at with the Minnesota Vikings who started out 5-0 before losing two in a row and currently sit at 12-2. The Vikings have been great in so many different areas and some of those margins have been important to the Vikings getting to that impressive record.

How have the Vikings been able to get it done? They are doing what every great team does: win in the margins.

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Wes Phillips on the sideline

After the Vikings lost two games in a row against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams, they made the decision to move offensive coordinator Wes Phillips from the booth to the sidelines.

One of the main reasons? Pre-snap penalties

Since the Vikings have moved Phillips down to the sidelines, the Vikings are 7-0. The little things for the Vikings have improved for the Vikings since Phillips came to the sidelines.

  • Pre-snap penalties weeks 1-8: 15
  • Pre-snap penalties weeks 9-15: 8

They have also improved with other penalties like illegal formation and illegal shift.

  • Weeks 1-8: 8
  • Weeks 9-15: 5

The biggest one for the Vikings is they aren't wasting timeouts or having delay of game penalties. The team is more organized and playing with more cohesion since he came down to the sidelines.

Third and fourth down success

The 2022 season might be remembered by most that they were "fraudulent" because of their 11-0 record in one-score games. It's been an emphasis since the beginning of head coach Kevin O'Connell's tenure.

"We definitely wish we weren't getting so many reps at the situational masters side of things," O'Connell said during the 2022 season. "But we put a huge emphasis on it from day one. Something we talk about every single week – different situations that not only come up for our football team but for everyone else around the league can be real learning opportunities for our team just so when those moments come up there is very little thinking that goes into it and more reacting and playing."

Not only are the Vikings winning games by large margin, but they are also winning with situational football. They have been excellent in ending drives and more than competent in extending them

  • 3rd down defense: 34.4% (5th in NFL)
  • 4th down defense: 34.5% (1st in NFL)
  • 3rd down offense: 41.7% (11th in NFL)
  • 4th down offense: 55.6% (22nd in NFL)

The interesting thing about the offensive numbers is how few opportunities the Vikings have had in both.

  • 7th-least third down attempts: 163
  • Least fourth down attempts: 9
  • Least fourth down conversions: 5

Some of that has to do with the success they have had on early downs and that has been a huge factor for the Vikings in sustaining success.

Red zone success

Quantifying the Vikings' red zone prowess has been fascinating this season. It's not the most sustainable metric to be dominant in the red zone, but if you are, it can take you to another level.

The Vikings have been really good this season in stopping teams from scoring touchdowns in the red zone and they are even better at preventing them from getting into the red zone.

  • Red zone possessions allowed: 40 (T-4th in NFL)
  • Red zone touchdowns allowed: 21 (T-4th in NFL)
  • Red zone touchdown percentage allowed: 52.5% (13th in NFL)

They have been even better as of late.

  • Vs. Cardinals: 1/6
  • Vs. Falcons: 2/5
  • Vs. Bears: 1/3

That kind of sustained success has been excellent for the Vikings and it's been huge in helping the defense prevent points from going on the board, as they rank fourth in points allowed this season at 18.0 points per game.

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