Minnesota Vikings offensive MVP vs. Jets in Week 7

The New York Jets were no match for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. And though the Vikings’ defense stole the show, their offensive teammates put 37 points on the board against a good-if-not-great New York defense and a harsh New Jersey wind.

With the only offensive star shining in purple on Sunday afternoon being Adam Thielen, it may be easy to overlook a total offensive tally of 37 points. But let’s not. Traveling to New Jersey to play the Jets was challenge enough for Minnesota, but the weather conditions seem to suit a Jets team with intentions of winning their third game in a row.

Instead, it was the Vikings who prevailed in convincing fashion, making it their own third straight win and putting them up atop of the NFC North.

Vikings’ Offensive MVP vs. Jets

Pat Elflein, Center

Yeah, I know. Where’s Thielen? Well, I’ll ask you to take a look at the replay of Thielen’s first-quarter touchdown catch, a 34-yard over-the-top end zone pass where Vikings’ center Pat Elflein passes off a stunting Jets’ defensive lineman and expertly stones the linebacker looping through the middle on a blitz.

Vikings’ QB Kirk Cousins has time to easily see, set-up, throw and follow-through on the touchdown pass. 7-0, good guys.

We need to start recognizing the fact that since Elflein returned as a starter (in Philadelphia, three weeks ago) the Minnesota Vikings haven’t lost a football game.

And, as left tackle Riley Reiff and running back Dalvin Cook missed another game, the Minnesota running game had another solid day, tearing off big runs for big first downs and a game-clinching score.

Moreover, Cousins has had more time in the pocket with Elflein again at the center position, and this offensive line is “getting out and moving” like it did in 2017.

Let’s give some love to the “butt-guts” and number 65. He’s had a hard road back from his injuries and off-season surgeries, and he looks very much the part of a leader.

Honorable Mention

Adam Thielen, Wide Receiver

With a record-tying performance (starting a season with seven 100 yard receiving games) that dates back almost 60 years, Thielen is right now a cut-above every NFL wide receiver.

The kid from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, is brainy, slippery and big. When coaches talk to players about the value of a wideout’s “route separation” from a defender (and they do), these days it’s likely there’s some video included in the coaching that has number 19 in it.

To illustrate how dominant Thielen is at this point of the 2018 season, take one more look at his first-quarter touchdown catch over Jets’ cornerback Darryl Roberts, who, beyond this play, was spending the majority of the contest making Thielen’s fellow receiver Stefon Diggs disappear on Sunday.

Roberts played brilliantly. So well, he almost got an honorable mention here. Still, Thielen ran past him. How? I don’t know. Perhaps Roberts didn’t believe Thielen would test his speed, or would cut out, or slant in?

However it happened, it happened. The Vikings took the lead and never trailed.

It is Thielen’s uncanny ability to beat defenders–any defender–to the design of the pass play that is so fun to watch. You need a corner that both jam and follow, not only by quickness or speed, but even by guile, to take Thielen out of what has become a superlative Viking’s passing attack.

That certainly hasn’t happened yet in 2018.