The Vikings Week 10 win over the Saints was many things. It was the game that definitively made Josh Dobbs a high-end backup for at least the next decade. It was the game that Camryn Bynum gave this wife a football in the first game she’s ever gotten to attend after making it to the States. And it may have been the game where Kevin O’Connell won Coach of the Year.
Kevin O’Connell is the Best Coach the Vikings have had Since Bud Grant
What KOC has been able to do sans the Kirk Cousins injury is nothing short of remarkable. Somehow, without his starting quarterback and the best receiver in football, the Vikings have won five straight games. After a year that saw them win way too many close games, everyone wanted to write Minnesota off after a 1-4 start. Now sitting at 6-4, the Vikings are a borderline playoff lock in the weak NFC. Are the Vikings actual contenders? No. But the mere fact that they’re not the Raiders right now tells you how good KOC has been. The culture he built in two years has the Vikings on top of the player-voted organizations to play for list and relevant when they have no business being so. The Vikings may not have their long-term quarterback, but they have their coach.
Vikings Week 10 Win Standouts
Josh Dobbs
Look, this writer may have said some things about Josh Dobbs last week. Maybe he was the only writer you could find that was critical of the man. But he’s here to say that he may have been wrong and Josh Dobbs is legitimately fun. Dobbs isn’t an elite passer, but his mobility is something Viking fans haven’t seen in a long time. He was regularly breaking out of sacks and extending plays before finding a receiver downfield. Dobbs also knew who his best receivers were and kept things simple by targeting them play after play. T.J. Hockenson looked like he needed oxygen by the end of the first half. If he keeps this level of play up, the Vikings will at minimum be a fun team to watch down the stretch.
D.J. Wonnum
Defensive line play might not always be graceful, but D.J. Wonnum’s last few weeks need to be acknowledged. He’s gone from a guy who was going to be an afterthought on the free-agent market, to a potential keeper. Patrick Jones started the season getting a lot of snaps opposite Danielle Hunter. It’s been Wonnum, however, that’s stepped up this season with Marcus Davenport being out. Wonnum has accounted for more big plays than even Hunter has these past few weeks. After a relatively uneventful start to his career, he’s certainly picking things up when the Vikings have been most in need.
Josh Mettelus
There’s been a lot of talk about the Vikings’ safeties this season. Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores quickly figured out that three of his best defenders all played the same position. So, what did he do? He put all three of them out there at the same time. Josh Mettelus has been an elite member of that group and is the most surprising of the bunch. The Vikings gave him a contract extension out of the blue after training camp, and all he’s done is validate that commitment since.
Mettelus might be the surest tackler on the team in the open field, taking a mantle that’s long been held by Harrison Smith. Of the three safeties, he’s done most of his work in the box, and it’s suited him. Having a background as a special teams ace, it makes sense that work around the line of scrimmage is where he’d accel. Mettelus should start getting some Pro Bowl mentions if he continues his play.
Vikings Week 10 Disappointments
Greg Joseph
Greg Joseph has gone from under the radar to a hot seat in record time. While the Vikings were losing, he was making seemingly every kick. Unfortunately, the thing that’s defined Joseph’s career in Minnesota is his timing on his misses. On Sunday he once again made all the kicks that didn’t feel important. And when Joseph makes them, it’s always with plenty of leg and right down the middle. But when they needed him to ice the game, he once again didn’t show up. The 54-yarder he missed in the fourth quarter could have ended the game and let Vikings fans breathe a little easier. Instead, he pushed it right and kept Jameis and the Saints in it. The Vikings are going to just have to hope Joseph finds consistency at some point, as they don’t really have another option.
Main Photo Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
