Week two of the NFL season has concluded and there are already people writing off the Vikings. Is it time to say that the ship has sailed on the Vikings hype train? The short answer is no, but there is much more to the equation.
As Vikings fans digress and sit back on a brutal showing on national television versus the Eagles, what is to be expected of this team moving forward? First, we must reflect on the game that took place last night.
Defensive Woes
Was this an expected loss? Most Vikings fans would say they were in for a let down per usual. I would say this was not an expected loss, but there were plenty of reasons it ended the way it did.
From the beginning, you could tell there was no true gameplan on how to stop Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense. Playing soft coverage could have helped stop the RPO’s, but clearly the Eagles had more tricks up their sleeves.
The first drive of the game resulted in Jalen Hurts going 5-5 on passing attempts and finding himself with a 4-yard rushing touchdown to cap that off. No throw on the drive or let alone in the game looked like it was well covered.
Flashback years prior, the Vikings soft coverage defense was also seen in Mike Zimmer systems. The Vikings cleared house for front office staff and coaches, so why is this still a gameplan? Only surrendering 7 points to a potent Packers offense in week one was a win within itself. It made fans believe there was some change happening on both sides of the ball.
Week two comes around in a primetime game and the Vikings look like they don’t even belong on the same field as the Eagles.
The Vikings allowed 486 total yards to this Eagles team and 333 passing yards were credited to Jalen Hurts.
Where is the Offense?
Not only was the defensive side of the ball horrific, but so was the offensive side of the ball. We knew coming into the season that Kevin O’Connell’s gameplan would be to have a pass-heavy offense. Now, it is fine to have that mindset, but running needs to be a priority as well.
The fact of the matter is, Dalvin Cook has proven himself as a running back in the NFL. He had six carries for 17 yards Monday night. Would you be interested in who the Vikings leading rusher was in the loss? Kirk Cousins. Cousins had 20 yards of rushing and nobody has ever really described him as being fleet of foot.
Speaking of Cousins. There is going to be a lot of backlash from the Cousins haters once again. The lack of scanning the field and looking for another receiver was embarrassing. He looked for Jefferson all game, but still threw into coverage resulting in three interceptions. Mind you, Cousins threw a total of seven interceptions all of last season. Not a good look by having three in one game.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1572051342373584899
Where is the Viking Ship Headed?
To conclude, the Vikings woes should not continue in this pattern. Last night was no fluke from Philly, which means the video should be heavily dissected going into week three versus the Lions.
The Vikings have four more games before they get to rest on their bye week. They will play the Lions at home in week three, the Saints overseas in London the following week, then back home to play the division rival Bears and capped off by the Dolphins in Miami.
Realistically, this schedule can be concerning. The Lions have actually looked like a decent football team in the first two games. Going to London to play the Saints should be a fun one. Bears games have recently been competitive between the two teams. Finally, Miami has looked solid with their new receiving core, following a huge comeback win versus Baltimore.
It is all up in the air for this Vikings team. Will O’Connell be able to come into week three with a different gameplan or will it be the same old story as the last few years? It all remains to be seen, but do not let people that are writing off the Vikings convince you just yet. There will be growing pains as expected, but c’mon now they have only played a total of two games.