The Minnesota Vikings off to a rough start this season. At 1-2-1, Minnesota is third in the NFC North and have not lived up to their high expectations. On the bright side, Kirk Cousins has impressed at the quarter mark, earning his big payday. Here are the Vikings’ grades through four weeks.
Offense
The offense has been explosive when needed through four weeks. While the running game has been subpar, the passing game has been among the best in the league. Kirk Cousins is third in the NFL with 1,387 yards in the air. In fact, he has set the franchise record for the most passing yards in the team’s first four games of the season.
@KirkCousins8 1,365 yards so far tonight sets a new #Vikings record for most passing yards through the team's first 4 games. Cousins has now completed passes to 9 different receivers on the night.
— Vikings Communications (@VikingsPR) September 28, 2018
Cousins’ top target, Adam Thielen, is currently second in the league in receptions (40) and yards (473). Stefon Diggs has added 311 yards and three touchdowns. On the season, the receiving duo has 784 yards and continue to make a case for the best tandem in the league.
Four quarterbacks – Ben Roethlisberger, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr – are on pace to break Peyton Manning's single-season passing record (5,477 yards).
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) October 1, 2018
The Vikings have lost their last two games thanks in large part to poor offensive line play. Strip sacks in both games were pivotal in deciding the outcome, showing the struggles of the offensive line. The struggles continue when the Vikings attempt to run the ball as well. Twice in their week four game against the Los Angeles Rams, a defender nearly tackled Kirk Cousins on a handoff. The Vikings are dead last in the league with just 63 rushing yards per game with zero rushing touchdowns.
Dalvin Cook has yet to get going early in the season. Cook was a breakout candidate heading into the season but has underwhelmed so far with just 98 yards in three games. Minnesota needs to find balance or things can get ugly in a hurry.
Offensive Grade: B
Offensive MVP: Kirk Cousins
Defense
When the 2018 season started, the Vikings defense was a consensus top-three unit in the league. Through four weeks, the defense is 21st in yards allowed and have given up 27.5 points per game. In 2017, Minnesota’s defense allowed just 15.8 points per contest. The addition of Sheldon Richardson up front has paid off, as has the extension for Danielle Hunter, but the rest of the defense has seemingly taken a step back. Hunter and Richardson are always involved on the play and they play with a lot of heart.
Danielle Hunter could've easily said screw it on this play. Notice how he goes into second gear to chase down Todd Gurley to initiate the first contact that slows him down enough to get tackled. This did not go unnoticed. That's heart right there. Thank you @DHunt94_TX. pic.twitter.com/Wd9RAqMjnD
— Realistic Randy (@realistic_randy) September 29, 2018
The Vikings leave week four with one of the worst pass defenses in the entire league. Their opponents have a 105.9 passer rating, placing the Vikings sixth-worst in that category. They have also allowed the most pass plays of at least 40 yards and are last in the NFC North in sacks. The pass rush has been shaky, especially after losing Everson Griffen to some personal issues. In two games with Griffen in the lineup, Minnesota has seven sacks. In two games without him, they have just four. The Vikings also haven’t forced a single turnover since week one.
How do the Vikings go about cleaning up their pass defense? "At this point, I don't know," MIke Zimmer said. "We've never been, probably anywhere I've ever been, this poor in pass coverage. We're going to look at everything we're doing and get back to doing things correctly."
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) September 28, 2018
The rush defense is 13th in the league, which is at least a little better than the pass defense. One thing they can hang their hat on is that they don’t allow big runs. They are one of only three teams that has not allowed a run of at least 20 yards this season.
Minnesota is built to win with their defense, but things haven’t clicked so far this season. If they are serious contenders, they need to shake off the rust and get back to what they do best.
Defensive Grade: C-
Defensive MVP: Danielle Hunter
Special Teams
Special teams have been abysmal for the Vikings. Rookie kicker Daniel Carlson could not make hardly anything in the first two games of the season, and he was subsequently released after missing a potential game-winning field goal in Green Bay. Dan Bailey has appeared in one game for the Vikings, and he looked solid. Bailey made both PAT tries and all three of his field goal attempts. Minnesota released Ryan Quigley prior to the season, and Matt Wile has not filled those shoes. Wile has a net average of just 41.1 yards and has had a punt blocked already this season.
Rookie Mike Hughes has been a bright spot in the return game. Hughes is averaging 26.8 yards per return, including a 46-yard return in week two. At that average, Hughes would rank seventh in the NFL. Unfortunately, he does not have enough attempts to qualify.
Special Teams Grade: D
Special Teams MVP: Mike Hughes/Dan Bailey
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
