The Vikings Week 6 win in Chicago was one that might feel a little hallow to the NFL world. Minnesota’s offense sputtered without all-world receiver Justin Jefferson. The Bears also played the majority of the second half without starting quarterback Justin Fields. The fact that Minnesota only won by yet another one-score margin is rather troubling. With that said, there were still a few promising takeaways for Minnesota, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Minnesota Vikings Defense Showed Up When Needed
Nobody is going to say that the Vikings have anything close to resembling a top-flight defense. However, their performance in Chicago was a step in the right direction for a long-maligned unit. Sure, some were due to playing against backup quarterback Tyson Bagent for a solid chunk of time. However, even when Fields was in the game, Minnesota still gave Chicago fits. The Bears aren’t world-beaters on offense, but they were coming off a long week and back-to-back explosive performances. Shutting them down in front of their home crowd still constitutes a win for a defense in need of one.
Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores and his aggressive blitzing scheme stymied Chicago’s passing game all day. Flores isn’t working with the most talented crew, but he’s brought credibility to what was a league-worst unit a season ago. He’s got his group bought in and it’s showing through consistent effort on a week-to-week basis.
The Vikings pass rush has been getting home frequently the past few weeks, and it’s getting them off the field. Sunday they were credited with five sacks and a plethora of pressures, with lots of defenders contributing to that total. The Vikings defense also scored their second touchdown of the season following a strip sack in the third quarter. Minnesota doesn’t have the talent to completely shut teams down, but Flores’ aggression is leading to big plays. Sunday also saw the Vikings win the turnover battle for the first time this season. The defense is going to have to keep up the heat if they want to compete with the 49ers on Monday night.
Other Vikings Week 6 Performers
Danielle Hunter
Danielle Hunter is making the Vikings regret not signing him to the long-term extension his camp was seeking this past off-season. He’s already up to eight sacks on the year after logging another multi-sack game on Sunday. He was a terror in Chicago, consistently forcing Fields to flee the pocket and added a knocked-down pass to his stat totals for good measure. Hunter has also been his consistently solid self against the run this season. Minnesota gave Hunter a one-year deal with assurances that he couldn’t be franchise-tagged. If Hunter keeps this production up, he’s going to end up one of the league’s highest-paid defenders in 2024.
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Harrison Phillips
It’s been a rough start to the season for the veteran big man Harrison Phillips. A year after being a stalwart up front, he has had difficulty making his presence felt. Sunday he could finally provide the interior push Minnesota saw from him so consistently a season ago. He was even able to collect his first sack of the year as a result. If Phillips can find a consistent groove, the Vikings interior pass rush and run defense can also hopefully find more consistency as well.
Vikings Week 6 Disappointments
Kirk Cousins
Sunday was not Kirk Cousins’ finest moment as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. It continues the troubling trend of Kirk playing down to the level of his competition. A week after hanging with Patrick Mahomes for the majority of the game, Cousins didn’t do much to distinguish himself from Tyson Bagent. Without Justin Jefferson on the field, Cousins and the offense had a hard time moving the ball. As a veteran quarterback Cousins has to be expected to overcome the temporary loss of his top target.
Cousins also has a history of abysmal performances on Monday Night Football. Unfortunately for Kirk, that’s what he has coming up with San Francisco coming to town in Week 7. At least fans don’t need to worry about the possibility of Cousins playing down to poor competition. Cousins is going to have to figure out how to develop a connection with his existing cast quickly for Minnesota to have a chance against one of the best teams in the league.
Jordan Addison
One of those connections that Cousins will have to build rapport with, Jordan Addison, didn’t have his best day either. It might not be fair to suddenly heap massive expectations on the rookie first-round wideout. However, Addison was brought in to be the perfect complement to Justin Jefferson in the passing attack. Now with Jefferson out, it’s time for Addison to show that he also has the talent to be a go-to guy in the NFL. Sunday proved that he might not yet be up for the task.
Addison did score a touchdown, but he had some issues getting open consistently. He also had a crucial drop early in the game on a beautiful downfield throw from Cousins. Addison showed in camp and at times this season that he can win one-on-one matchups. For this offense to flourish without Jefferson, Addison is going to have to prove that he can do so consistently as a focal point for the offense.
Main Photo: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
