EAGAN, Minn. — Kevin O’Connell is a pragmatic person. He typically understands why reporters throw specific questions his way.
Monday was no different. The Minnesota Vikings coach stood behind a lectern and listened to a member of the media pontificate about his team, the game it lost the day before and how the result might have inspired more confidence among segments of its title-starved fans.
“I’m not really in the business of moral victories and things like that,” O’Connell countered.
Brief and to the point, but also sensible. The Vikings battled an elite NFC North foe, the Detroit Lions, and had the ball with a smidge more than four minutes remaining and a chance to ice the game. Fragmented execution failed O’Connell’s team in the end. Fixing the problems, especially operationally on offense, should be the internal focus.
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But that does not mean we, externally, should not aim to put the loss in perspective.
The calendar says late October. The Vikings’ record says 5-1. And countless advanced metrics say Minnesota has one of the toughest schedules in the NFL. The Vikings hover near the top of the statistical charts in point differential, offensive explosiveness and defensive takeaways.
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The Bills are still pretty good pic.twitter.com/IPzaOJqgvC
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) October 20, 2024
Nothing punctuates the view of this Vikings team better than the words of Lions coach Dan Campbell, who, after Sunday’s game, said of the Vikings, “They battled. Those guys fought, and we were very well aware of what’s over there.”
Minnesota, a team that absorbed the second largest dead-cap hit in the NFL before this season, a team that was projected to win 6 1/2 games by the oddsmakers, a team that intentionally exchanged a veteran quarterback in Kirk Cousins and All-Pro edge rusher in Danielle Hunter for a bundle of unheralded free-agent options, has demanded attention and respect even from its closest rivals.
“These guys are a good defense, man,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. “They really are.”
“They have a great receiving corps,” Detroit cornerback Terrion Arnold said.
“They’re a good team with some great coaches,” Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader said. “They do a lot of good stuff.”
All of this praise for a team that almost two months ago to the day was in Cleveland for joint practices. It was then that O’Connell informed the public that rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy would miss the season with a torn meniscus.
At the time, the already low expectations for the Vikings in 2024 plummeted even further. How, it felt fair to wonder, would they navigate a six-game start against multiple Super Bowl contenders? Had Minnesota started 2-4, spirits would have sunk, but realistic observers would have acknowledged the realities of a team lacking the high-end draft picks from recent years that contenders like the Lions have.
Live: Coach Kevin O’Connell Press Conference https://t.co/gXgH7g0Neh
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 21, 2024
Perhaps it is cliche to pose the question: What would you have thought in August of the Vikings’ starting 5-1? Framing it that way, though, is essential to a clear-eyed understanding of the job this staff and these players have done. Once again Sunday, the Vikings entered the ring and traded punches with a heavyweight. Recognizing and, yes, appreciating that is critical to accurately assessing just how far this team has come.
By no means is this to say the 2024 Vikings are flawless or even close to it. Though quarterback Sam Darnold has operated the offense effectively, there are still intermittent spurts of blurry decision-making. That is only the beginning of a laundry list of yellow flags:
• Right guard Ed Ingram is allowing more pressures per snap than any of the other 51 qualified guards in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
• Center Garrett Bradbury is allowing more pressures per snap than any of the other 27 qualified centers in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
• When running back Aaron Jones is not doing the running, Minnesota ranks 32nd in the NFL in yards per carry, according to TruMedia.
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• Minnesota’s defense has played the second-fewest number of snaps in man coverage this season. This suggests there’s some doubt about this triaged cornerbacks unit featuring Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr.
• The Vikings defense is not able to create much pressure with its run-stopping personnel on the field. Minnesota is only averaging a 32.4 percent pressure rate with defensive tackles Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard on the field, according to TruMedia. For this reason, well-coached opposing teams have zeroed in on the Vikings’ groupings, trapping them at times in non-preferred setups in certain downs and distances.
All of these facets of the Vikings’ start are worth keeping your eyes on as this season progresses. Similarly, how will tight end T.J. Hockenson’s return affect the offense’s ability to use the middle of the field? What will Blake Cashman’s reinstatement as a starting linebacker mean for the defense’s hope of constricting space over the middle?
Really, leaning into an optimistic or pessimistic view depends on your perspective, and the range of opinions is fascinating.
These are fans and a market searching — begging? — for a sports season in which the other shoe does not drop. The fact the Vikings have generated these positive feelings, bringing about that familiar skepticism, says as much about the altered state of this season as anything else.
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(Photo of Ivan Pace Jr.: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
