The Minnesota Vikings losing to the Dallas Cowboys in such an embarrassing fashion feels par to the course. They have experienced a lot of brutal losses, but never one like this in the regular season when they were seven games above 0.500.
It’s a new territory for head coach Kevin O’Connell, as this is some high-profile adversity he and his team will have to deal with it on prime time Thursday night against Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
On Monday afternoon, I compiled a bunch of questions from fans and other analysts and the answers are below, including quite a few from Sunday’s dreadful performance.
Running game
From TheBeeHerman in the Norse Code Discord:
“The emphasis early on seemed to be getting that run game going but it didn’t take over the game as intended.
But it did seem to consistently set up short third downs that just weren’t converted. Is this a strategy worth trying again? The Dallas Def was reported to have a weakness to the run so I’m wondering if that lack of success looks worse for the offense or better for the defense”
I think the running game is something that will be a priority again and perhaps on Thursday afternoon. It’s also a strategy that won’t always be one each week, as defenses have different weaknesses. Dalvin Cook was looking really fresh on Sunday and utilizing him again on Thursday night could be a smart strategy.
What issues can be fixed immediately?
What areas on a short week can the Vikings shore up, so that we don't see some of the same issues on Thursday?
— Myles Gorham (@MylesGorham85) November 21, 2022
Two things stand out to me. They have to give the offensive line some help. With Christian Darrisaw out, Blake Brandel will get the start. Matthew Judon leads the league in sacks with 14 and he will likely be placed across from the third-year player out of Oregon State.
The other is that the Vikings need to make adjustments. When the Cowboys hit them in the mouth with their dynamite pass rush, the offense didn’t make any noticeable adjustments to counteract their pass rush. No chips, max protect shots or misdirection to try and throw the defense off. Those two things need to be a priority on Thursday night.
Expectations for the season
Have the Vikings exceeded your expectations? If so, what are those expectations now heading into December/January?
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) November 21, 2022
They have exceeded my expectations. I expected a 9-8 season that was a fringe playoff team. This team has outperformed that measure substantially, especially being 7-0 in one-score games. All hope isn’t lost after the loss to the Cowboys, but it’s hard to feel as confident about them considering how poorly they have played the teams that can play man coverage and generate a pass rush with four guys consistently. They can still make a run and potentially be a Super Bowl team if they continue to make those adjustments.
Lack of targets for Jefferson
How did Justin Jefferson only end up with 5 targets yesterday?
— Rae 🐐⚡️ (@Surae_Poole) November 21, 2022
This is a simple answer, unfortunately. The Vikings’ offensive line was bad and they didn’t adjust to give them help. No chip blocks, max protect concepts or misdirection to keep them guessing. It’s hard to get your best player the ball without time to throw or a willingness to adjust. Jefferson spoke about his frustrations with the lack of adjustments on Monday afternoon.
OBJ to Minnesota?
Any opinion on Odell to Minnesota?
— Pat Pryor (@PryorNFL) November 21, 2022
At this point, Beckham Jr. is not going to be coming to Minnesota. I wrote a lot in this space about why the Vikings and Beckham Jr. made a lot of sense. The offense was the same as last season and Kevin O’Connell was his offensive coordinator on the Rams last year. It also would have given the Vikings a level of explosiveness that they desperately need opposite of Justin Jefferson. Unfortunately, he will likely be signing with the Dallas Cowboys, fortifying a competitor’s roster that just decimated the Vikings this past Sunday.
Can they bounce back?
Will the team be able to move after getting their 💩 pushed in so far?
— Pheonix Squad Spectre 9 (@nlyons9) November 21, 2022
The basis of the question is sound logic. The Vikings got their butts absolutely kicked on Sunday and they are in a great place to remedy that with a game just four days later against the New England Patriots. Coaches have been saying it for ages. The best remedy to fixing an ass whooping is to get back onto the field quickly.
In-game adjustments
After this disaster of a game do you have any long-term worries about KOC’s play-calling/in-game adjustments?
— Marcus Miller (@marcmillah) November 21, 2022
I have some serious concerns about the in-game adjustments moving forward. The Vikings’ offensive line was getting cooked consistently and it felt like they were calling the same offense. I didn’t see them adjust to a shorter passing game nor give some help to the offensive line. This is an area that needs significant improvement if the Vkings want to make a real run.
Why didn't the Vikings replace Andrew Booth Jr.?
Why didn't we see Kris Boyd or Duke Shelly while watching young Terrell Buckley, I mean Andrew Booth Jr being cooked? Or was it baptism by fire because everybody else decided to suck too?
— Rick Galbraith (@RickJamesB4) November 21, 2022
This is an interesting situation for the Vikings. Objectively, Booth Jr. didn’t play great against the Cowboys, but he also wasn’t some kind of major liability. Outside of Noah Brown cooking him on a double move, Booth Jr. had himself in decent position. Sure, he didn’t make a lot of plays, but in a game where the Vikings got destroyed, letting a young player who desperately needs repetitions valuable reps is going to be good for his development. His issue isn’t talent, it’s mental. Once he starts to read things quicker and thinks less, Booth Jr. will be a good cornerback.
