What did fans of the Minnesota Vikings learn about the team during Week 6 of the 2017 NFL season against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium?
The biggest games of the regular season for the Minnesota Vikings come every year when their NFC North rivals come to town. More specifically, hosting the Green Bay Packers is always one of the headliners for fans and players alike.
This year, that contest happened on October 15, 2017. Thankfully, the Minnesota Vikings were able to defeat the Packers by a final score of 23-10 in front of their home crowd despite some big losses due to injury.
But winning a game doesn’t always tell the whole story. There are always parts of the game that stands out from others and areas that the team did well or could use to be improved upon going forward.
Let’s talk about the top takeaways from Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers starting with the running back position and one guy who stepped into a huge role after the loss of Dalvin Cook due to injury.
#1. Jerick McKinnon is the dangerous back.
The Vikings spent a lot of resources attempting to update their running back position. To fill the hole left by Adrian Peterson, Minnesota spent a second-round draft pick on Dalvin Cook and went into free agency to get Latavius Murray.
However, after a devastating knee injury to Cook, McKinnon has been the running back to get things done. He is averaging 4.5 yards per rushing attempt and 6.4 yards per catch this season, adding three scores. However, he has fumbled three times.
Meanwhile, Latavius Murray has really struggled to get going. Through 6 weeks, he is only averaging 2.4 yards per rushing attempt and 5.8 yards per catch while getting the start the last two weeks in Cook’s absence.
Despite all that, don’t expect Minnesota’s formula to change. Head coach Mike Zimmer said at the Monday press conference that he is happy with the role these two running backs have and considering McKinnon’s offensive explosion the last two weeks, that’s not a surprise.
#2. The Vikings can win without a strong offense.
Let’s be honest, the Vikings didn’t look like a killer team in Week 6. They didn’t keep tight pressure in the final quarter of the game, despite a struggling performance from backup Green Bay quarterback Brett Hundley
Minnesota seemed happy to run out the clock by running the ball and giving the Packers easy underneath plays, but that kind of play doesn’t always result in a victory. With only a 13 point advantage, the game was definitely not out of reach if Green Bay made a few plays.
Thankfully, fans didn’t experience heartbreak. Minnesota’s defense was able to get some takeaways and get the victory, but the team needs to work on that killer instinct, especially on offense, to put a game out of reach.
While the team is built around a strong defense, there does need to be balanced. A stronger, more aggressive offense paired with the shutdown defense would make the Vikings strong postseason contenders. The only question is if this team has that mentality after losing so many key pieces on offense.
#3. Kyle Rudolph has been working on blocking
Regular readers of The Viking Age know that I’m a heavy critic when it comes to blocking. Both in the pass and run game, a player showing effort in this phase of the game can mean the difference between a negative play and a positive one.
One player who really had his blocking game on point this week was tight end Kyle Rudolph. More known for his big pass catching radius, Rudolph was not only a willing blocker in Week 6 against the Packers but an aggressive one.
Even Pro Football Focus praised his work in the blocking game in their Refocused article by saying the following:
"“Rudolph turned in a very strong performance as a run blocker on the edge, allowing the Vikings the luxury of being able to get yards in the run game even with the interior offensive line struggling to get much movement.”"
#4. The Vikings OL can hold up.
Week 6 found the Vikings without starting left guard Nick Easton, but the offensive line was still able to protect well enough to give a quarterback time as well as create some holes in the running game.
The offensive line was far from perfect in this game. Even though they didn’t give up a sack all game, some credit for that stat has to go to the mobility of Case Keenum, who often rolled away from pressure.
But the line doesn’t need to be perfect. Heck, they don’t even need to be great. They just need to be solid. The money the team has invested in the tackles, the draft pick on the center, and the guys completing the line at guard have come together to be decent enough to give the offense a fighting chance.
Pro Football Focus may have the Vikings line as a below average unit, but they’re head and shoulders better than what the team has been working with recently. And their efforts are a big reason why the team can succeed without its top quarterback, running back, and wide receiver.
#5. Penalties are still a killer.
Last week, the Minnesota Vikings shot themselves in the foot many times. The week before that, numerous unnecessary and undisciplined penalties were a major reason they lost to the Detroit Lions at home.
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Sadly, the team didn’t clean up their act much against the Packers in Week 6. Once again, Minnesota had an unacceptable number of accepted penalties and others that were either declined or offsetting that could have made a difference in the game.
Against Green Bay, Minnesota had 7 penalties accepted against them for a total of 65 yards. While that’s still less than the Packers being penalized 8 times for 92 yards, it’s still far too much for a team that should be better disciplined.
There will be some debate over the penalties themselves, such as the block that Laquon Treadwell threw. However, silly ones like a headbutt after an interception or defensive holding are things that need to be corrected going forward.
Next: How long until Teddy Bridgewater returns?
What do you think were the biggest takeaways from this game? And what other important things did you get from the Minnesota Vikings Week 6 game against the Green Bay Packers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.