After a week 1 encounter that saw the Vikings give the Green Bay Packers a defensive masterclass in the fourth quarter, Jonathan Pye brings you the first SKOL from the Sofa of the season, with all the analysis that you might have missed.
KOC’s kamikaze kids do it again
I’ve previously written about how this is a big year for Kevin O’Connell as an offensive guru and playcaller. Yesterday’s game didn’t provide us with any further intel on that remark. 11 offensive plays into the game, Kyler Murray slides on third down, takes a nasty shot to the head and sits out the rest of the game with a concussion. Without being much of an expert, I doubt he’ll be medically cleared to start on Sunday in Chicago and really nor should he, after that brutal shot.
The Vikings displayed fight and the team didn’t give up on the starting quarterback going out. To his credit, O’Connell simplified the offense, although our rushing attack didn’t pop many big gains until the fourth quarter, when Mason had a run for 27 yards. It was important that we didn’t abandon the running game, as that’s been a common theme during O’Connell’s tenure and makes the offense predictable.
Carson Wentz filled in dependably. It was a savvy veteran move to get the Packers to jump and get a play in just before the two minute warning. The throw to Jefferson was exquisite and a reminder of why he was once the league’s offensive player of the year. The catch was superb, and the toe drag to make sure he was inbounds was sublime.
You know what you are going to get from Carson Wentz: he’s going to have two or three boneheaded plays every game, you just have to survive the bad and hope for a bit of luck. However, he’s also going to have two or three throws that blow your mind. The touchdown pass to T. J. Hockenson to close the gap to five points late in the third quarter was the other exceptional throw on third-and-long. Had he not blown his shoulder out last season, Wentz would have led his hometown team to the playoffs. Worst case scenario, if Murray isn’t fit to return until after the bye, Wentz should be able to lead us to a .500 record over those four games, if not even a .750 record.
Complementary football is key
Myles Price’s 68-yard kickoff return with six minutes left in the third quarter was crucial to give the Vikings some positive momentum and to keep us alive in the game. From the Jefferson touchdown at the end of the first half until that point, we were impotent on offense. Price’s return down to the Green Bay 28-yard line gave us superb field position and more importantly saved time on the clock that we may have needed in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings benefitted from ill discipline from the Packers. On the drive where we took a 25-22 lead alone, there were three automatic first downs that we benefited from, two negating a sack and one an interception, all on third down. On the other hand, the Vikings were only penalised three times for 15 yards – all pre-snap penalties. The offside penalty against Dallas Turner was probably his best contribution of the day! More on him later…
Flores’ flying squad
Brian Flores’ defense was sloppy for three quarters. They did a good job of only giving up two touchdowns and three field goals, considering Jordan Love threw for 387 yards and they had five explosive plays total. It was ‘bend, don’t break’ stuff, but there were some near misses too. Isaiah Rodgers dropped a certain interception and Dallas Turner missed an opportunity for a strip-sack in the third quarter when the Packers were near their own goal line.
Everything changed after the Packers took a field goal off the board after Dallas Turner strayed offside on the attempt. Domonique ‘Big Citrus’ Orange stepped up and stopped the Jordan Love sneak on fourth-and-a-long-1. The Vikings received the ball then drove down the field 83 yards to take a three-point lead on a successful two-point conversion.
The Vikings pressured Love on 78% of his throws and a special shoutout must go to Dallas Turner who had 10 quarterback pressures, seven quarterback hits, five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. The decision to trade 29-year-old Jonathan Greenard to net two third-round picks and give Dallas Turner – six years his junior – increased playing time looks to be a wise one by cap guy Rob Brzezinski, especially with the question marks surrounding Greenard’s health.
Andrew Van Ginkel also had an excellent fourth quarter, after appearing quite sluggish and poor in the first three quarters. Van Ginkel netted five pressures, two quarterback hits, one-and-a-half sacks and recovered his own forced fumble.
There are issues to clear up, though. Whenever he was on the field, Ivan Pace was awful in passing situations. On Christian Watson’s 81-yard touchdown, Theo Jackson whiffed on a potential interception and let Watson evaporate for a touchdown. Josh Metellus continues to be a concern too; the contract we’re paying him is substantial when you consider his incompetence when not being used as a gadget player, playing as a linebacker or up on the line of scrimmage.
Conclusions
The Vikings are 4–1 on opening day under Coach O’Connell and this is a good trend to have as fast starters. Kyler Murray’s health has to be at the forefront of everything – he needs reps leading the offense. He didn’t have them in preseason and the longer he’s out, the longer it’ll take for him to get comfortable with the offense. The defense needs to clean some things up. The offense could use some more trick plays to open up an explosive play when we’re in a rut. The good news is the Vikings are 1–0 heading into week 2!
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