Vikings may have to start making serious decisions with key players
The Minnesota Vikings fell to 0-3 after another mistake-prone outing in Week 3. Once again, the team lost the turnover battle, and Kevin O'Connell threatened to bench players who have ball security issues. However, ball security issues are not the only problems this team is dealing with. The Vikings allowed Justin Herbert to complete 40/47 […]
The Minnesota Vikings fell to 0-3 after another mistake-prone outing in Week 3. Once again, the team lost the turnover battle, and Kevin O'Connell threatened to bench players who have ball security issues.
However, ball security issues are not the only problems this team is dealing with. The Vikings allowed Justin Herbert to complete 40/47 passes for 405 yards and three touchdown passes. Keenan Allen collected 18! catches for 215 yards.
Against the Chargers, some of the team's most important players were among the lowest rated by PFF. One player that was just brought in this offseason and given $12.6M guaranteed was the lowest-rated Viking of the week.
Byron Murphy Jr. was brought in this offseason on a two-year, $17.5M contract with $12.6M guaranteed. How has the veteran performed so far? Murphy currently has a 45.8 PFF grade through three games. In Week 3, Murphy was the lowest-rated player on either side of the ball, coming in with a 41.1 grade.
PFF charged Murphy with 10 catches for 185 yards, including the trick play touchdown pass from Keenan Allen to Mike Williams.
That type of performance is simply not good enough for a high-priced veteran. The Vikings revamped their secondary this offseason, and so far the results have not improved. Also, former second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr. played ZERO snaps in this game. What does that tell you Booth can't even get a single snap when the Vikings are getting torched?
It's unclear if this is a scheme issue or just a regression issue. With the Cardinals in 2022, Murphy finished with a solid 66.7 PFF grade. This year, Murphy has been one of the worst qualified corners in the league.
Also included among the lowest-rated Vikings were Dean Lowry, DJ Wonnum, and Pat Jones II. Wonnum and Jones rotated in for the injured Marcus Davenport, and neither contributed anything. Wonnum played 59 snaps and had three pressures and one tackle. Jones played 32 snaps and had one pressure.
Lowry is another player who signed with the Vikings this offseason. The defensive end collected $7.9M guaranteed and has hardly contributed. Lowry played 31 snaps on Sunday and generated zero pressures, earning a 47.6 PFF grade. The former Packer has just two tackles this season and a PFF grade of 37.7.
The Vikings simply have to get better production out of the veterans. Right now, Lowry and Murphy are not playing like they should be given their salaries. It's time to see if O'Connell will stick to his guns and start giving the younger guys a shot.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from the Vikings’ Week 3 loss
The Vikings couldn’t secure their first win against the Chargers.
Featured image via © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
