Minnesota Vikings have major questions ahead of them, as they continue to find different ways to win football games
The Minnesota Vikings are 3-0 and found three different ways to win, and the defense continues to be the catalyst behind all of them.
The Minnesota Vikings aren’t winning pretty, but they’re winning. Minnesota defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-16 to improve to 3-0, and the fact that the Vikings are grinding out ugly victories early in the season is a great sign for the franchise.
Finding different ways to win matters, and doing so without wide receiver Justin Jefferson for the vast majority of the game makes it even more impressive. There are a lot of elements at play from this one, and they all deserve attention.
The Kyler Murray conversation needs more time
There were a lot of people who did not want quarterback Kyler Murray to be the starter. Some wanted to continue with J.J. McCarthy, and even those who didn’t were uncertain about what Murray brought to the franchise. He was “benched” by the Arizona Cardinals at the end of last season, albeit mostly because of injury. Jacoby Brissett played relatively well for Arizona, so they didn’t rush Murray back, and a new coaching staff ultimately chose to move on from him. A lot of varying factors there that can point to Murray instead of just saying he isn’t good at football.
The problem is that we only have four and a half quarters of Murray with the Vikings, and the evaluation is complicated by Jefferson playing just one series before spraining his ankle and missing the rest of the game. That changed the entire dynamic of what we saw on the field. The Vikings couldn’t get couldn’t get anyone open down the field consistently. The broadcast even noted that many of the route concepts Minnesota ran were “basic,” according to Jonathan Vilma, and the Buccaneers were sitting on them. When Jefferson is on the field, his gravitas makes everything easier. Without him, the offense stalled.
Kevin O’Connell did make adjustments, but they weren’t good enough. Murray connected on a couple of deep balls to wide receiver Jordan Addison, and another nearly hit, but Addison couldn’t quite bring it in. The Vikings built a 17-10 halftime lead but couldn’t sustain offensive momentum in the second half.
How much of that struggle was actually on Murray? The offensive line played a pretty good game. Pro Football Focus’s initial charting data showed just eight pressures on 34 dropbacks from the offensive line, running backs, and tight ends. Two pressures came from DeeJay Dallas, two from Donovan Jackson, and one each from Aaron Jones, Max Bredeson, Christian Darrisaw, and Brian O’Neal. Per NextGenStats, the fastest sack on Murray was a 5.3-second rush by Alex Anzalone. The Vikings simply couldn’t get anyone open downfield.
The All-22 film will be fascinating to watch because a narrative is already forming that Murray just isn’t good and the Vikings should move on. That opinion feels premature. Murray is at the mercy of receivers getting open, of O’Connell calling the right concepts, and of a game plan that was built around Jefferson being available. When adjustments were made, there was some success.
One encouraging sign: Murray’s first three throws of 20-plus yards were all completions. That’s a huge win, and something to build on if the Vikings can generate more consistency. There simply isn’t enough information to make a firm judgment on Murray yet.
Justin Jefferson’s ankle injury could sideline him for weeks
Jefferson caught a screen pass and was running up the middle of the field when his ankle got rolled up. It didn’t look terrible initially, and nobody realized he was hurt until the broadcast noticed he hadn’t been in for several plays. He got both ankles taped on the sideline and tried to see if he could generate some explosiveness, but he wasn’t able to and did not return.
It might be smart for the Vikings to hold Jefferson out for two games, then let the bye week give him an extra week of rest before returning four weeks later against the Indianapolis Colts. The Vikings have been consistently protective of Jefferson when it comes to injuries. Kevin O’Connell did say that he was close to returning, so that could be a good sign moving forward.
The defense continues to be the engine
Dallas Turner is the catalyst of this defense. He had a couple of rough one-on-one reps, but his overall impact was undeniable. Turner finished with 0.5 sacks and led the team with seven pressures per Pro Football Focus, while they credited him with forcing two sacks.. Andrew Van Ginkel, Ivan Pace Jr., Josh Metellus, Kyle Van Noy, and Eric Wilson combined for the remaining 6.5 sacks as the Vikings racked up six total and 29 pressures as a unit.
That collective pressure is the key to Brian Flores’ defense. It’s not about any specific player being great. It’s about the whole unit generating pressure and utilizing the scheme to the best of its ability.
Baker Mayfield felt all of it. He was blitzed on 32 of his 42 dropbacks, a staggering 76.2% blitz rate. Under pressure, he completed just 4 of 11 passes for 59 yards and an interception. Even when kept clean, he managed only 13 of 23 for 158 yards and a touchdown. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles confirmed after the game that Mayfield dislocated his thumb, with an MRI scheduled for Monday. Mayfield finished with just 217 yards through the air. That’s a big win for the Vikings.
The overall scope of this defense is in a great place. Three games, three wins, three different ways to get there. The catalyst behind all of them? Good defense. Don’t panic about the offense just yet. When you lose the biggest piece of your game plan, that stinks, and it impacts everything Minnesota wanted to do. The adjustments will come, and hopefully it results in a balanced team.
