Takeaways from the Vikings After 3 Games

While it hasn’t been the prettiest of starts to the season, the Vikings find themselves at a 2-1 record and on top of the NFC North entering week 4. We have some positives and we have some negatives after 3 games so far this year.

1. Offense has been very inconsistent to start this year. After Week 1 it looked like this Vikings offense was going to be unbeatable. However, Week 2 against the Eagles couldn’t have been any uglier as they only scored 7 points and Kirk Cousins threw 3 interceptions. In Week 3 it was a mixed package as the 1st and 3rd quarter the Vikings were held to 0 points. However, in the 2nd and 4th quarters they managed to score 14 points in each to finish with 28 on the day. While I know it is a new scheme and it will take time, hopefully the offense will understand quickly that in a division with the Packers they need to be fully in rhythm within the next few weeks if they want to be seen as a contender and treated like one.
2. The Vikings offensive line, on the other hand, looks like the best we have seen in years. One of the biggest reasons why the Vikings offense has been able to produce points is because of the much improved offensive line so far this year. 2nd year left tackle Christian Darrisaw has been a stud and was graded the highest left tackle this past week. Brian O’Neill has also kept up his great play. Ezra and Ed at the guard positions have also both been really solid. However, the biggest shocker of the season so far has been Garret Bradbury. The 4th year center has been graded as the lowest pass blocking center over the last 3 years, but so far THIS year he has come to play. After adding 15 pounds of muscle we can clearly see the difference in his game. He has been graded as the 6th highest center thus far and has made significant improvement under the new coaching regime.
3. Run defense remains a problem. I still don’t get how poor a run defense the Vikings has, despite having an amazing front 7 on paper. I don’t know whether it is scheme or the players just not living up to their potential because, man, every opponent team so far this season has run all over the Vikings. They need to take a look at the film, because if this problem doesn’t get fixed it will definitely limit how far this team can go.
4. Cornerbacks remain a concern. The Vikings secondary also hasn’t been quite as good as they should be. Patrick Peterson has been showing his age this season and Cam Dantzler has had an up and down start. It will be interesting to see what happens as Andrew Booth is hopeful to start practicing this week and will see if he can get into the mix for Sunday.
5. Find ways to get Jefferson more involved. After what was a great week 1 for the 3rd year wide receiver, the past few weeks he has been very limited against defenses. It is clear that he is getting double-teamed and Kevin must adjust to these defenses in order to get his best player the ball. That said, it is great to see that when opponents double-team Jefferson, Thielen and Osborn can easily get open. They are also great wide receivers so if teams are going to just focus on Jefferson, those two will be able beat their 1 on 1’s and get easy touchdowns.