3 things the Vikings need to improve heading into Week 6

Red zone offense

The Vikings’ offense was able to put together some nice long drives in their win over the Giants. Minnesota used a nice balance of the run and the pass that kept the chains moving while also chewing a lot of time off the clock.

The only problem was that on a couple of occasions, the Vikings weren’t able to punch it in for a touchdown and they had to settle for field goals instead.

New York’s defense does need to get some credit for this. They made some nice stops in the red zone on Sunday and they were able to pressure Kirk Cousins. This pressure resulted in the Giants either sacking Cousins or causing him to throw the ball away.

The field goals that Minnesota had to settle for made the game a lot closer than it had to be and it kept the Giants in the matchup longer than they should’ve been. The Vikings have to convert these opportunities into six points instead of three against a better opponent like the Eagles in Week 6.

How the Vikings exactly do this is the question. This could be an opportunity where Minnesota can utilize their top two tight ends. Both Irv Smith Jr. and Kyle Rudolph have been very underused this season. If the ball isn’t going to Dalvin Cook it seems most likely that it will be directed to Adam Thielen.

Maybe the Vikings can start to use more two-tight end sets in the red zone and get these big guys isolated against a linebacker. That would create a mismatch and it would definitely increase the chances of Minnesota ending up with six points instead of three when they get inside their opponent’s 20-yard line.