It wasn’t easy, and it was far from pretty, but the Minnesota Vikings are finally in the win column. It was a struggle in the passing game, but the running game came in surprisingly clutch given the unit’s struggles so far this season.
Once again, turnovers were somewhat of a bugaboo, but in spite of some costly mistakes, the Vikings took care of business and got their first win of the season on Sunday, against the Carolina Panthers.
Buy Vikings TicketsA tough match-up with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs looms on the horizon for the 1-3 Vikings. But before we get to that, let’s take a moment to look back on the good, bad and ugly from the Vikings’ first victory.
The good: Cam Akers' debut
A lot has been made about the Vikings inability to run the ball consistently early on this season. Whether you want to place the blame on the offensive line, the running backs room, or at the feet of Kevin O’Connell himself, the fact remains the run game sputtered through three games. So much so that the team felt the need to go out and make a deal with the Los Angeles Rams for Cam Akers.
Through the first week of action for Akers, it seems like the trade has paid significant dividends. Akers didn’t come out of the game with the most impressive stat sheet (five carries for 40 yards and another two receptions for 11 yards), his impact was felt beyond the box score. Akers had himself quite the Vikings debut, and it seems to have lit a fire under incumbent Alexander Mattison, too, as he ran the ball 17 times for 95 yards, giving the Vikings offense an impressive 5.9 yards per carry total.
The Good: Marcus Davenport's debut
On the other side of the ball, another new Viking made his presence known in his (effective) debut with the team. While not technically his first action of the season, today was the first real action for the big free agent acquisition Marcus Davenport. Fans were getting antsy, wondering when – or if – they were going to see their shiny new toy produce on the field. Davenport came through in spades on Sunday, contributing in large part to the victory.
Much like Akers, Davenport’s impact was felt well beyond the box score. On paper, Davenport had four tackles, one sack, and one TFL. But Davenport was wreaking havoc on the Panthers’ offense all day, causing pressure that put his teammates in a great position to make plays thanks to the disruptions he was responsible for.
The bad: Passing game
It was somewhat of a topsy-turvy, upside-down Sunday for the Vikings offense. The passing game, which had worked so well all season up to this point, really faltered against a strong Panthers defense. Kirk Cousins and crew really struggled to get anything going offensively through the air, and were bailed out by a surprisingly strong run game and the defense.
While superstar receiver Justin Jefferson continued his torrid pace on the season with six receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns, it was the supporting cast around him that really failed to show up today. Jordan Addison has been having a strong rookie season so far, but he was a complete non-factor in this one. If you weren’t paying close attention, you may not even have noticed Addison out there at all. He finished the game with his first shutout, with Cousins only throwing his way once.
It wasn’t just Addison who was a non-factor against the Panthers pass defense. Outside of Jefferson, the rest of the crew was only good for six receptions and 54 yards. Without Mattison and Akers running the ball at a healthy clip, this would have been one of the poorer offensive performances we’ve seen from this team in years. Luckily, they had plenty of help from the other phases.
The ugly: Unforced errors
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Vikings turned the ball over multiple times. I feel like a broken record with how much I’ve talked about the Vikings’ turnover woes, but they have been the single biggest factor in the team’s struggles through the first quarter of the season. They reared their ugly head again today, with the Vikings adding another two turnovers to their league-leading total. Those turnovers led to 10 points for the Panthers offense, including a 99-yard pick-six.
Luckily for the Vikings, the Panthers could only muster another three points the entire game thanks to a stalwart effort from the defense (more on that in a minute). To the team’s credit, they didn’t let the continued turnover issues sink their game this time, but it continues to be a problem. Minnesota isn’t going anywhere this season if they’re going to turn the ball over multiple times every game.
The Chiefs are next up on the schedule. While they may not be the same explosive team they’ve been in the past, they aren’t the kind of team you’re going to beat playing like that. Giving Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid bonus possessions is a ticket to dropping to 1-4. This is an issue that may not be solved until the team has a bye week to really hammer it home, but it should be the main focus of every practice from here on out until they can have a week without one.
The beautiful: Vikings defense
It’s the first win of the season, so you get a bonus section! I’d be remiss if I went through this entire column without mentioning the real stars of the show: The Vikings defense. In particular the efforts of perennial Pro Bowl-caliber safety Harrison Smith. Davenport, whom we mentioned earlier, had himself a game, but Smith was on a completely different level. And arguably saved the game for the Vikings multiple times.
At the end of the day, Smith walked away with 14 tackles. But more than the tackles, it was the work that Smith was doing in the Panthers backfield that really sealed the game for Minnesota. Smith was a wrecking ball Sunday, hitting Bryce Young three times, notching three TFLs, and stripping the ball on one sack, leading to a D.J. Wonnum scoop-and-score.
Despite the Vikings offense putting them behind the proverbial eight ball once again with turnovers, the defense held their ground. The Panthers offense was only able to muster six points all day – a number matched by the defense on the aforementioned scoop-and-score. Without Davenport, Wonnum, and Smith flying around and consistently making plays in the Panthers backfield, you’re likely reading a very different column right now.
