Minnesota Vikings 2018 Review: Grading the offense
By Chris Schad
Wide Receivers
The biggest strength of the Vikings’ offense in 2018 was their play at the wide receiver position. Both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs took off from their strong 2017 efforts and cemented themselves as one of the top receiver duos in the NFL.
Thielen began his year with a bang, recording over 100 receiving yards in each of his first eight games to start the season. That feat eclipsed the old record to start a season by former Houston Oilers receiver Charlie Hennigan in 1961, and tied Calvin Johnson’s eight-game streak in 2012.
Meanwhile Diggs had a solid encore to his Minneapolis Miracle performance by posting the best season of his career. The Maryland product posted career highs in receptions (102), yards (1,021), touchdowns (nine), and games (15) in 2018 and he proved to be a great compliment to Thielen on the other side of the field.
As the season wore on, however, nobody else could step up to keep the defensive focus off Diggs and Thielen. Laquon Treadwell posted career-highs across the board, but that line was a measly 35 catches for 302 yards and one touchdown. Despite his own thinking, it was another disappointing season for a former first-round pick that could have been Michael Thomas.
The Vikings’ best third option at receiver wasn’t even on the team until he was signed off the street in Week 3 as Aldrick Robinson caught five touchdowns on 17 receptions. Outside of that, Chad Beebe and Brandon Zylstra made cameos but no real impact in their rookie seasons.
With Diggs and Thielen struggling to beat double teams, Minnesota’s offense went in the gutter and it raises major questions about how the unit could look in 2019.