The Minnesota Vikings enter the bye week at 5-1 and sit in a good spot with a two-game lead in the NFC North division.
Despite the immediate success in the first year of the Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era, the Vikings still have a lot of room to grow. The main area that they should see growth is on the offensive side of the football.
They rank 13th in points scored and 18th in yards gained heading into week seven and those numbers are similar to last year where they were 14th and 12th respectively.
Despite the lack of success as a unit, the PFF grades on an individual basis are good. Let’s take a look at those grades after the first six weeks.
Backfield
- QB Kirk Cousins 75.4
- RB Dalvin Cook 72.1
- RB Alexander Mattison 66.2
- FB C.J. Ham 48.0
No real surprises here. Cousins and Cook have been consistent with some moments of brilliance, Mattison has been solid when called upon and Ham has underperformed. He hasn’t looked great in the one area that he’s excelled in: run blocking.
Pass catchers
- WR Justin Jefferson 78.8
- WR Adam Thielen 68.8
- WR K.J. Osborn 61.3
- WR Jalen Reagor 65.5
- WR Jalen Nailor 80.4
- TE Irv Smith Jr. 56.9
- TE Johnny Mundt 53.0
- TE Ben Ellefson 79.1
These numbers reflect the truth about the Vikings’ pass catchers: only Jefferson has been truly great this season. It’s also one of the reasons that the idea of signing Odell Beckham Jr. has been so appealing to many. The Vikings need to see improvement from their pass catchers to see this team make a real run.
Offensive line
- LT Christian Darrisaw 79.8
- LG Ezra Cleveland 70.6
- C Garrett Bradbury 65.0
- RG Ed Ingram 61.2
- RT Brian O’Neill 76.9
Through six games, the Vikings are at the worst average on the offensive line. This is exactly what we have wanted from this group over the last few years. Darrisaw and O’Neill have been excellent on the edges, holding their own while on an island. That has allowed the interior to help compensate for their lack of current skills.
