Breathe easy Viking’s fans, no losing streak here. I know you feared the worst once this game got flexed from a noon kick to primetime on Sunday Night Football. You have seen this before, the Vikings get off to an incredible start and hopes get high, and then they come crashing down with a losing streak of some sort. 2023, four straight losses to finish 7-10 and miss the playoffs. 2021, lose 4 of 6 in the second half of the season and miss the playoffs. 2020, lose 3 of last 4 and miss the playoffs. I understand the angst after losing two and possibly starting a streak by losing three in a row on a national stage. But last night proved this team is not a fluke, and they’re still one of the best in the NFC.
Before diagnosing the win, lets look at the losses. The Vikings first loss of the year came in a 31-29 slugfest with the Detroit Lions who are now arguably the NFL’s best team. The following loss came on a short week and with travel as the Vikings had to play four days later across the country against the Los Angeles Rams and fell 30-20 after an egregious missed facemask penalty against Sam Darnold. And I have news for everybody, teams that play the Lions end up losing their following game almost every time. It was honestly just brutal scheduling for the Vikings, and asking a lot of a team who was already exceeding expectations.
Now, to the win last night. This game was slow to start, both teams kind of feeling each other out. The Colts have one of the most potent pass rushes in the league and it was getting home to Darnold, especially early as the Colts defense scored on a Darnold fumble in the first quarter. But Minnesota’s weapons were too powerful for the Colts defense as both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison broke out in the second half. Darnold spread the ball around to nine different members of the Viking’s offense yesterday, throwing the ball for 415 yards. When you have that much continuity in the offense it shows that the scheme is working, and that the QB feels comfortable. This is what will suit the Vikings so well moving forward.
It is a beautiful Catch-22 defenses are presented with because if you want to subtract Justin Jefferson from the offense, Darnold will just feed someone else. If you try to take away all the weapons and put Jefferson in one-on-one coverage, he will burn you like hot bacon grease popping off the pan. Jefferson is hands down the best receiver in football and he proves it time and time again with his breakaway speed, his strength and his ability to win contested balls at an alarming rate (64.3% contested-completion percentage). And if it isn’t Jefferson, it’s Jordan Addison who has settled comfortably into the number two role of the receiving corps. Addison’s impact has continued to progress and he had his biggest game of the season last night catching five balls on five passes and finding the end zone once. The offense is slowly building into a juggernaut, even with the absence of star left tackle Christian Darrisaw who will miss the season with a hurt knee.
Couple this powerful offense with the defensive unit the Vikings have put on the field and add in a coach like Kevin O’Connell and you have all the ingredients of a Super Bowl contender. Yeah, I said it. The Vikings currently sit second in the most competitive division in the NFL with all four teams combined record being 23-10. The Lions at 7-1 are playing the most dominant football of anyone, but it may bode well for the Vikings to fly somewhat under the radar as we make the turn on the season. I only say somewhat because the Vikings have gotten their fair share of press this season, but the Lions have somewhat overshadowed that with the way they have played thru week 9. One other benefit to playing in a division of this caliber is you are guaranteed six games this season against playoff-type teams. Teams that succeed in the postseason have often played tough teams throughout the regular season bringing truth to the old adage “iron sharpens iron”. The way things look right now, the path to the Super Bowl runs through Detroit. However, expecting the Lions to continue to play at this level is asking a lot, and if they were to falter, the Vikings are next in line to step into first place.
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