There is no doubt in my mind that the Minnesota Vikings have put together a good enough defense to hang with anyone out there (notwithstanding their struggles last week in containing the Bears’ passing game).
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And when I say “anyone” I do include the Green Bay Packers, even though the Packers have scored over 50 points in two straight games and look like the most powerful offensive juggernaut in the NFL.
Though the Packers have arguably the best QB in Aaron Rodgers and arguably the best WR in Jordy Nelson, along with other great weapons like Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy, I believe the Vikings can contain their offensive firepower and keep the game reasonably close.
If – and this is a very big “if” – the Vikings’ offense can only avoid putting them in bad field position situations.
You don’t have to always be producing explosive plays and putting points on the board (though that would be nice), but you do need to at least get some first downs and avoid putting your defense behind the eight ball.
Leslie Frazier addressed this problem on seemingly a weekly basis when he was in there, and it’s still a problem despite the turnover in head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterback.
Why can’t the Vikings at least get to the point where they’re not going three-and-out constantly? The answer of course is simple: it’s all about what you do on first and second down.
The Vikings lately have been finding themselves in a lot of not-very-manageable third down situations. This would be less of an issue if the Vikes had a downfield element to their passing game but right now they do not.
If you can consistently get the ball downfield, you worry less about getting into 3rd-and-long situations because you know you can bail yourself out. If you don’t have that element, it becomes more imperative to get positive plays on first and second down.
The Vikings against the Bears struggled both running and throwing the ball, and kept finding themselves in third down situations that they could not convert. Teddy Bridgewater couldn’t find open receivers down the field and kept dumping it off short, and his receivers were not able to fight for the first down yardage.
Fans get frustrated with five yard dump-offs on 3rd-and-8. But the issue isn’t the dump-off, it’s the plays that got you into the 3rd-and-8 to begin with.
A lot of this is the simple result of not being able to run the ball consistently. No doubt, Norv Turner would love to see his offense churn out a consistent 4 yards-per-carry on the ground. That sort of running keeps you out of those 3rd-and-longs most of the time.
But the Vikings haven’t had that. As their passing game has become more anemic, more teams are stacking up to stop the run. It’s the same old tired issue for the Vikings. When will things ever change?
They will change when the Vikings find a QB who has the confidence and ability to hit the deep pass with enough consistency to keep defenses honest. Is Teddy Bridgewater that guy? He’s struggled with his deep accuracy, but it must also be said that his receivers and blockers have not always done him any favors.
Things seemed to loosen up a little for the Vikings last week when Charles Johnson got into the flow. Johnson is apparently very comfortable in Norv Turner’s offense, having worked with Norv in Cleveland last year, and that comfort level showed up in the way he ran his routes against the Bears.
Other Viking receivers – Cordarrelle Patterson in particular – seem less comfortable in Norv’s scheme. The resultant lack of chemistry between receivers and quarterback is seriously hampering the Vikings’ ability to move the ball.
The entire offense right now is suffering from severe stagnation. If that condition persists this weekend, and the Vikings are not able to tip field position and put the Packers in the hole occasionally, the defense may be put under too much duress and the game may get out of hand.
The key to avoiding a blowout at TCF this weekend is to not hand the Packers free points. That means not turning the ball over – and Teddy Bridgewater has been pretty good in that area the last few weeks – and it means not going three-and-out and putting the game in the hands of Jeff Locke.
Oh god Vikings, please don’t put the game in the hands of Jeff Locke. That guy sucks.