Minnesota Vikings News and Links: Can The Vikings Get Back On Track This Week?

That was a disappointing loss this past week because the team had a chance to seal it away and could not come up with one first down due to poor play calling and poor QB execution. Sam Darnold has been playing really well but when you need a play, he has to make it if they are truly going to compete for a title. I expect he will get better as the season progresses.

The is at the Rams, home vs the Colts, at Jacksonville, at Tennessee, at Chicago, and home vs the Cardinals. I can see them winning all six of those games.

What do you predict?

Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Vikings snap counts and notable PFF grades from Week 7 loss against Lions

Top 5 PFF grades on offense (min. 20 snaps)

1. Jones — 77.9

2. Darnold — 76.4

3. Jefferson — 72.2

4. Nailor — 69.5

5. Brandel — 67.4

Oliver, O’Neill, and Darrisaw also weren’t far off from making the top five. Give lots of credit to Brandel, who has been rock solid in his first year as a starter. He earned his fourth pass block grade of at least 74 in six games.

But at the other guard spot, Ingram’s 38.0 grade was the lowest on the offense for the second straight game. He was dinged more for run blocking than pass protection, which isn’t usually the case. It’ll be very interesting to see if Ingram starts again on Thursday or if the Vikings give Dalton Risner an opportunity at that spot.

Top 5 PFF grades on defense (min. 20 snaps)

1. Greenard — 92.1

2. Van Ginkel — 80.2

3. Metellus —73.5

4. Tillery — 67.7

5. Murphy — 58.6

The lowest grades went to Grugier-Hill (on a small sample size), Bynum, Smith, and Pace, who scored a touchdown but also was charged with four missed tackles.

Vikings Defense Points Out Spots to Fix After 1st Loss of 2024

The Vikings defense prides itself on situational mastery – so Sunday was surprising.

Detroit gained positive yards on four straight plays, including chunks of 14, 16 and 14, with 2:32 to go in the fourth quarter, setting up kicker Jake Bates for the game-winning field goal and NFC North lead.

It was a no-frills 2-minute drill, and Minnesota simply couldn’t get off the field.

“I think it’s surprising because that’s our philosophy,” Vikings safety Joshua Metellus said following the 31-29 loss. “We know what the standard is, and the standard is to be great in those moments especially.”

The standard was intact, occasionally, in the first game at U.S. Bank Stadium in 28 days. It was disguised, intermittently, as a sixth consecutive win for the 5-1 Vikings, but featured uncharacteristic moments.

“We get [into] a heavyweight battle like this, it comes down to situational football,” Metellus lamented.

Too many sequences were not up to snuff: Like players reacting slowly and taking poor angles on a long Lions touchdown run; several blitzes that were a half-second from getting home before Jared Goff sliced and diced a secondary playing behind a big cushion, and as damaging a second quarter as imaginable.

“They knew exactly where the sweet spots and the soft spots of the defense [were] going to be,” Jonathan Greenard said. “Hats off to them. They [saw] what they liked and continued to hit on it.”

On the Lions first scoring play, a 45-yard run by Jahmyr Gibbs, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill was hesitant coming downhill, which allowed tackle Penei Sewell to reach and get hands on him in the second level. Gibbs accelerated through a wide crease and punched the afterburners after juking safety Camryn Bynum.

“He’s really good in open space so that made it a challenge,” Bynum said, admitting he expects to make that tackle. “That’s just not good enough by me – coming down for a one-on-one tackle, I have to play inside out, don’t let him cut back on me. And I take full ownership on that play. … I’ve done it before and I know that next time it happens, my feet will be good and I’m making that tackle, so that’s 100% on me.”

Positive Plays by Vikings Offense Overshadowed by Missed Opportunities, Penalties

The Vikings knew they held their fate in-hand with just over four minutes remaining in Sunday’s divisional battle.

They’d clawed their way back in the gritty contest to take a 29-28 lead, thanks to Ivan Pace, Jr.’s scoop-and-score a couple of minutes earlier. But the 2-point attempt failed, and Minnesota went three-and-out and punted the ball back to the Lions, who drained the clock and kicked a 44-yard field goal to win 31-29.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones, Sr., expressed disappointment postgame.

“That’s 4-minute football right there, and you don’t want to give them the ball back,” he said. “I’ve got to be better in situational ball. Definitely want to stay on the field and just run that time out and let our defense relax.”

Jones’ thoughts were echoed by receiver Justin Jefferson, who emphasized that missed opportunities and poor execution overshadowed some of the offense’s big plays throughout the afternoon.

“Getting that 2-point conversion, that would have helped tremendously. Getting that third down would have helped tremendously. There are plays being left out on the field,” Jefferson said. “But it’s no single person’s fault. You know, we’ve all got to be dialed in as an entire team, [all three phases], and come to work.”

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about the 2-point attempt that would have protected Minnesota from being defeated by a field goal.

“Some motion there, man coverage there; they passed it off. Sam [Darnold] tried to put it in there into a tight window. Might have had Speedy (Jalen Nailor) in the corner. I’ve got to go take a look at it,” O’Connell said. “Just one of those things where you look back on it and those are the types of things, to get those two points would be massive in that moment. Just some of the plays down the stretch, we’ve got to be able to pitch and catch. Got to be able to have the execution on a [third-and-4].”

Each team Sunday was flagged eight times throughout the course of the game. Seven of the Vikings eight penalties occurred on offense: three holding, two illegal formations, one false start and one offsides.

Penalties stalled drives – such as late in the first quarter when the Vikings were flagged three times before punting – and nullified big plays that included a 30-yard catch by Johnny Mundt being called back.

“It’s these little self-inflicted [wounds], whether it’s a formation or hold or pre-snap infraction. I’ve got to get that stuff fixed,” O’Connell said. “When you’re trying to win at the level we’re trying to win against anybody we play, we can’t do anything to help give football teams an out.

“We just need to worry about all 11 guys executing the play pre- and post-snap with great detail in all three phases, and I am just going to keep pushing this team every single day to try to do that,” he added.

O’Connell noted the defense as in man coverage and Branch was “leaning to Justin’s side” pre-snap.

“Thought we might have a chance there to maybe get Justin going away from all that. [Cornerback Carlton] Davis did a nice job through 5 [yards] – maybe beyond 5 – with a little grab and hold and just throwing the rhythm of Justin off a little bit,” O’Connell said. “Thought we might have had a chance to maybe give Aaron the ball there kind of as we talked about the play, but Sam had Jordan flash to him, and Branch did a really nice job being in the area to kind of jump that throw.

“You know, that’s one of those things,” he added. “Sam made so many good decisions today, threw so many highly competitive throws to give our guys chances, touchdown to Justin included, and they got us on that one.”

O’Connell said Darnold overall “played really, really good football” against a tough opponent and facing regular pressure.

Brian Flores and the Vikings’ defense have a Lions problem

Dating back to Christmas Eve of last year, three of Minnesota’s last nine regular season games have been losses to the Detroit Lions. They’ve allowed 31, 30, and 30 points in those games, along with 391, 389, and 381 yards. Jared Goff is 75 of 97 (77 percent) for 857 yards with 5 TDs and 0 INTs. Amon-Ra St. Brown has at least 7 catches, 100 yards, and a TD in each game. Jahmyr Gibbs has had two huge outings among the three.

After another loss on Sunday where it seemed all too easy at times for Goff and company, Flores officially has a Lions problem.

In the schematic chess match, Flores is a resounding 0-3 against Johnson. The Vikings simply haven’t been able to stop the run or limit Goff, who is seemingly built to beat them. They blitzed Goff on 17 of his 29 dropbacks (59 percent) on Sunday and he was 15 of 16 for 165 yards and a touchdown on those plays. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league against the blitz, which is the bread and butter of what the Vikings do. And when they didn’t blitz him, he was 7 of 9 for 115 yards and a TD.

It’s been the same story going back to last year. In Week 18, the Vikings blitzed Goff on a whopping 29 of his 33 dropbacks, and he completed 21 passes for 310 and 2 TDs. In Week 16, he was 22 of 26 against the blitz. It just hasn’t worked. The Lions have a great offensive line and are good at picking up blitzes, and Goff always knows where his answers are when pressure arrives. But if you sit back and rush three or four, the Lions can run the ball with ease and Goff will pick you apart.

What’s most concerning is that the Lions didn’t seem to be doing anything especially complicated in Sunday’s game. They just ran the ball well and found soft spots over the middle of the field on simple intermediate in-breaking routes, averaging 10.5 yards per play across those four TD drives and 7.0 for the game. That’s something the Vikings will have to fix over the two-plus months before they see the Lions again in a Week 18 game that could have huge stakes.

Monday Morning Mailbag: Positives & Negatives in Vikings 1st Loss of 2024

Why all is not lost for the Vikings after their Week 7 setback against the Lions

Monday was no different. The Minnesota Vikings coach stood behind a lectern and listened to a member of the media pontificate about his team, the game it lost the day before and how the result might have inspired more confidence among segments of its title-starved fans.

“I’m not really in the business of moral victories and things like that,” O’Connell countered.

• Right guard Ed Ingram is allowing more pressures per snap than any of the other 51 qualified guards in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

• Center Garrett Bradbury is allowing more pressures per snap than any of the other 27 qualified centers in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

• When running back Aaron Jones is not doing the running, Minnesota ranks 32nd in the NFL in yards per carry, according to TruMedia.

It’s time for Vikings to bench Ed Ingram, start Dalton Risner against Rams

It’s time for the Vikings to bench Ed Ingram and start Dalton Risner at right guard on Thursday night against the Rams.

Six games into the season, the year three breakout the Vikings were hoping to get from Ingram just isn’t happening. He was their lowest-graded player on offense (per Pro Football Focus) for the second straight game in Sunday’s loss against the Lions. Among the 65 guards who have played at least 200 snaps this year, his 48.3 grade ranks 63rd. PFF grades are just one data point and not an end-all, be-all of player evaluation, but in this case, they match the eye test.

Ingram is a liability in pass protection, whether it’s in one-on-one matchups or in correctly identifying and picking up stunts. Against Detroit, he was flagged for holding when he got run over by Alim McNeill and sort of dragged him into a dangerous low hit on Sam Darnold. He’s a solid run blocker, but not so good in that phase that it outweighs the negatives in pass blocking (his poor game against the Lions was atypically more about run blocking than pass pro).

Vikings Sign LB Calvin Munson & Trishton Jackson to Practice Squad; Release N’Keal Harry

Minnesota returned WR Trishton Jackson to the practice squad after waiving him Saturday and also added LB Calvin Munson. In a corresponding move, the Vikings released TE N’Keal Harry.

Bears reportedly rejected Vikings trade offer for $3.6 million running back

“Recent health setbacks at running back put (the Vikings) in a tough spot,” Lambert said. “So GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah went hunting for help on the trade market, including a phone call to Ryan Poles.”

“Eventually, the Vikings reunited with veteran Cam Akers, whom they acquired from the Houston Texans for a 6th round pick. However, it turns out he wasn’t their first choice.”

“Darren Wolfson of SKOR North said on the Mackey & Judd podcast that Minnesota had another option in mind,” Lambert said.

“Prior to the trade for Cam Akers, I’m led to believe the Vikings preferred Khalil Herbert of the Chicago Bears,” Wolfson said, per Lambert. “(It’s) 100 percent confirmed, not reckless speculation: the Vikings had dialogue with Chicago. Absolutely had interest in Herbert. … My understanding is the Bears were looking for a little bit more, maybe like a fifth (round) pick.”

“Ryan Poles’ reply isn’t all that surprising,” Lambert said in response to Wolfson’s report.

Lambert also raised speculation as to Poles’ true intentions behind turning down the offer.

“Herbert hasn’t done much of anything this season … One would think the Bears would jump at the chance to get a draft pick of any kind for Herbert, who is a free agent next March.”

“Demanding a 5th seems a little ignorant of the running back’s actual value. A likely explanation is Ryan Poles wasn’t wild about trading inside the division. So he raised the price to something where he felt the Vikings would say no but would be willing to do the deal if they somehow said yes. They opted for the former, shifting their focus to Akers.”

Kevin O’Connell praises Vikings rookie Dallas Turner amid shrinking role

Outside linebacker Dallas Turner, the No. 17 overall pick in this year’s draft, played a season-low four defensive snaps in the loss against Detroit. His main role, as was the case over the previous couple weeks, was on special teams, where he played 20 snaps.

Turner played 35 snaps on defense and notched his first career sack in the Vikings’ season opener against the Giants. But since returning from a one-week injury absence, he’s played 28 snaps over the last three games combined. Instead of expanding over the course of his rookie season, Turner’s role is getting smaller and smaller.

Asked about that dynamic on Monday, head coach Kevin O’Connell gave a strong defense of the Vikings’ 21-year-old rookie out of Alabama.

“Yeah, he’s working through it,” O’Connell said. “He’s a young player in a defense where the roles and responsibilities sometimes in-game can adjust based on what we’re seeing. I think we’ve got a really deep outside linebacker room with Gink (Andrew Van Ginkel) and (Jonathan) Greenard, Pat Jones, and then Haddy (Jihad Ward) has got his role. We’re going to continue to see Dallas have an impact. It may be a growing thing as we go here, but trust me, I’ve got a ton of confidence in Dallas. He’s growing within a pretty high-level IQ defense.”

“I think he’s an incredible fit in our defense, not only in the present but in the future as well,” he said. “He’s gonna be an absolute monster for us. But sometimes, the way the game flow goes, there might be — what personnel are they using and how do we wanna match that personnel, things like that. … I think DT’s growing every single day. I’m more excited about him now than I was even when we drafted him.”

Vikings news: T.J. Hockenson window closing, secondary won’t catch a break vs. Rams, schedule change

As the 21-day practice window for tight end T.J. Hockenson opened on October 4, the Vikings obviously don’t have much time to either activate him from injured reserve or shut him down for the remainder of the season.

With the short week, the Vikings didn’t practice on Monday but were still required to submit an injury report, which listed Hockenson, who’s been out of action since last December after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee, as a limited participant.

In his Monday press conference, O’Connell stated that “it’s very much a possibility” that the two-time Pro Bowler would make his 2024 season debut on Thursday night against the Rams. But even if Hockenson doesn’t take a single snap, he must at least be activated. Because, again, if he’s not, he’s out for the year. That’s just how the NFL practice window rules work.

Just as Hockenson is likely to suit up for the Vikings, it looks as if Cooper Kupp is ready to return to the Rams.

There was hope that Kupp, who hasn’t played since sustaining an ankle injury in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, would be able to go against the Las Vegas Raiders this past Sunday. But he was ultimately ruled inactive following his pregame workout.

Following the Rams’ win over the Raiders, however, Sean McVay stated that he fully expected the 2021 receiving Triple Crown winner to return against Minnesota. And seeing that Kupp was a full participant in practice on Monday, it seems that will be the case.

While Hockenson’s return is obviously a good thing for the Minnesota offense, Kupp’s return isn’t great news for the Vikings’ defense.

While Minnesota leads all NFL teams with 11 interceptions, Brian Flores’ unit has allowed 260.3 passing yards per game, the third-most in the league. The secondary couldn’t do much to disrupt Jared Goff’s rhythm during Sunday’s loss to the Lions, allowing him to complete 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns and no picks.

And as O’Connell, who spent two seasons as LA’s offensive coordinator, including the aforementioned 2021 campaign, well knows, when Kupp and Matthew Stafford get into rhythm, they’re hard to stop.

Friend to Foe for Week 8: Kevin O’Connell & Sean McVay Facing Off for 1st Time as Head Coaches

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