The Minnesota Vikings improved to 5-0 on Sunday morning when they defeated the New York Jets 23-17.
While the record is surprising, the Vikings have some concerns as they head into next week’s bye and prepare for an Oct. 20 matchup with the Detroit Lions.
Here are three concerns for the Vikings and how they could impact the team as they head into the bye week. Be sure to check out our other story highlighting positives to as they get a week off.
The Vikings’ offense has reached another level this season and a big reason has been the addition of Jones, who was knocked out of Sunday’s game with a hip injury.
Jones entered Sunday’s game sixth among qualifying running backs with a 60.9% success rate – defined by Pro Football Reference as the frequency to which running backs pick up 40% of yards on first down, 60% of yards on second down and 100% of yards on third and fourth down. He also ranked second among qualifiers with 8.23 yards per route run on screen passes according to Pro Football Focus.
But Ty Chandler couldn’t have the same impact when came into the game, gaining just 30 yards on 14 carries and fumbling a pitch in the first half.
Jones’s overall impact helped the Vikings be a top-five offense with 116 points coming into Sunday but Minnesota sputtered when Jones exited the game. Perhaps the bye week can get Jones ready for the showdown with the Detroit Lions but if he is out for an extended period, the Vikings might need to consider getting a better insurance plan at the trade deadline.
The interior of the offensive line
The Vikings had a tough draw against the Jets, who ranked eighth in the NFL with a 26.9% pressure rate entering Sunday, but they still have a concern regarding the interior of their offensive line.
Ed Ingram ranked 70th among qualifying guards with a 33.6 pass-blocking rating entering Sunday and struggled mightily, allowing five pressures with a 19.8 pass-blocking grade on Sunday.
Garrett Bradbury played well on Sunday with a 76.2 pass-blocking rating but entered the game 31st among 37 centers with a 48.8 pass-blocking grade in the first four games.
With Blake Brandel posting a 39.3 pass-blocking grade on Sunday, it could open the door for Dalton Risner when his 21-day practice window is activated. It’s unlikely Risner will return for the Lions game, but it’s now a possibility he could be inserted into the starting lineup and Ingram could be sent to the bench when he is activated.
Sam Darnold’s bad day
Darnold has been listed as an MVP candidate through the early part of the season but Sunday was his worst game in a Vikings uniform.
Darnold completed just 14-of-31 passes for 179 yards and an interception. Darnold was especially bad under pressure, holding onto the ball for 3.86 seconds and posting a 39.6 passer rating with the Jets in his face.
The struggles were especially apparent in the second half when Darnold led the Vikings to four straight punts before Will Reichard’s 53-yard field goal effectively put the game away. Darnold also threw an interception that helped the Jets close the Vikings lead to 20-17 on a touchdown pass by Aaron Rodgers to Garrett Wilson with 6:10 to play.
In many ways, Darnold looked like the player Vikings fans feared when he signed a one-year contract last March. But hopefully, Darnold’s performance was just a bad day and he can bounce back with a bye week to adjust.
