A win is a win. It doesn’t matter how ugly the win is, all that matters for the Minnesota Vikings is that they secured the win on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders and moved to 7-6 on the season. They got some help on Sunday, too, as the Detroit Lions were upset by the Chicago Bears.
With four games remaining, and two games against the aforementioned Lions, the Vikings now find themselves sitting just two games back in the race for the NFC North title, while also firmly in the NFC Wild Card race thanks to a loss by the Seattle Seahawks against the San Francisco 49ers.
Schedule-wise, Sunday went about as well for the Vikings as it could have. On the field it was a completely different story. The game was about as ugly as it could possibly be, with neither team scoring until just under the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, the Vikings were able to make one more play than the Raiders and escape with a 3-0 win. Let’s take a look at the good, bad and ugly from this performance.
The good: Vikings first-half running game
No one who watched the game on Sunday can be blamed for coming away from that spectacle feeling down about the Vikings and their hopes going forward. Let’s be clear: That was an ugly game, and playing like that is not going to be good enough going forward. Things have to change in Minnesota, and they’re going to have to change quickly.
That said, this wasn’t a game completely bereft of good points for the Vikings. In a season where they have mostly struggled to run the ball, the Vikings run game looked very good in the first half against the Raiders, before injuries squashed any momentum they may have had.
Running back Alexander Mattison was well on his way to one of his best games of the season on Sunday in the first half. Mattison was able to find holes and rush the ball effectively against the Raiders front in the first half, to the tune of nine carries for 60 yards.
It all came crashing down at the end of the second half, as both offensive lineman Brian O’Neill and Mattison himself suffered injuries that severely hampered Minnesota’s ability to run the ball in the second half.
It’s not much, but in a game where not many things went right for Minnesota, it’s something they may be able to build on with some pivotal games coming up — if O’Neill and Mattison are able to get healthy.
The good: Vikings pass rush
It should come as no surprise that, in a game which threatened to be the first in the overtime era to head to overtime scoreless, defense was among the only real highlights. Not much of anything went right for the Vikings on Sunday afternoon, but, in typical 2023 Minnesota Vikings fashion, blame can’t be placed at the feet of the defense.
To the contrary, once again the Vikings defense was the only reason Minnesota was in this game and was ultimately able to come away with the win. If not for defensive coordinator Brian Flores drawing up pressure at the right time, Minnesota could easily have lost this game going away.
The front seven for the Vikings were the stars of the show Sunday against the Raiders, in multiple ways. The most important in my eyes is their effectiveness in rushing rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
O’Connell never had a chance to get comfortable on Sunday, getting sacked five times and being flushed from the pocket on several other occasions. Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum, and crew pressured O’Connell early and often, and got home at crucial times to kill drives and keep Minnesota within striking distance despite the anemic offense.
The ugly: Vikings passing game
Sunday’s game against the Raiders was a tough watch, there’s no two ways about it. It was such a rough performance, in fact, that we’re skipping right over the bad and doubling down on the ugly.
The leading headline from this game is going to be the fact that head coach Kevin O’Connell finally pulled the plug on the Josh Dobbs experience — at least for the game itself. Midway through the fourth quarter, O’Connell finally decided he’d had enough and went to backup quarterback Nick Mullens.
O’Connell had said earlier in the week that, if he was going to move away from Dobbs, he would do so with the Vikings still in striking distance of the game. O’Connell stayed true to his word, and it was Mullens who took the Vikings down the field to score what was ultimately the game-winning field goal.
Why was Dobbs pulled? Simply put, he couldn’t get anything going for the third week in a row. After struggling in games against both the Broncos and Bears, Dobbs came out on Sunday and laid yet another egg. At one point in the third quarter the Vikings offense had actually netted negative passing yards.
It remains to be seen who is going to be the starting quarterback for the Vikings for the final stretch of the 2023 season, but one thing is clear: Minnesota’s passing attack has to improve if they’re going to hold onto their playoff position.
The ugly: Injuries
If Dobbs’ struggles and the decision to go with Mullens down the stretch is the headline from Sunday’s game against the Raiders, the injuries Minnesota suffered throughout the game are the subhead. Injuries have been a theme all season for the Vikings, and it nearly cost them the game and severely hampered the offense.
The biggest injury is obviously the one sustained by All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson was finally making his return to the lineup, a return that lasted all of one quarter and some change. Early in the second quarter, Jefferson took a shot and went down immediately with what appeared to be a back or rib injury.
Later, it was reported that Jefferson had suffered a chest injury and had been transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
While Jefferson’s injury was the most impactful and serious, unfortunately for Minnesota, that’s not where the injuries stopped. Over the course of the game, the Vikings also lost starting running back Alexander Mattison, starting right tackle Brian O’Neill, and starting right guard Dalton Risner to injuries.
After a bye week to get healthy, and on the heels of Jefferson returning to the lineup, it’s somewhat deflating to see the rash of injuries we saw Sunday. Unfortunately, that’s life in the NFL.
