3 things the Vikings need to improve heading into Week 6

Cutting down the penalties

After having a couple of games where they played fairly clean football, the Vikings caused a lot of laundry to be tossed onto the field during their win over the Giants.

The refs penalized Minnesota 12 times for a whopping 112 yards in Week 5. When playing against an inferior opponent like New York, the Vikings are typically able to overcome a high amount of penalties. But that many infractions would likely prove to be costly for Minnesota against a better team.

The Vikings simply have to be more disciplined when they play each week. They need to tighten up their technique in coverage and the offensive linemen have to stop holding when trying to block.

The worst part about some of these penalties is when they took place. Everson Griffen, once again, jumped offsides on Sunday and that led to a Giants first down.

Then in what was a bizarre call, Minnesota flagged for roughing the long snapper on a New York field goal attempt. That penalty gave the Giants a fresh set of downs. The Vikings’ defense was still able to hold New York to just a field goal, but Minnesota should’ve never been in that situation in the first place.

The Vikings need to drastically reduce the number of flags they get thrown on them this week against the Eagles.

Minnesota can’t give Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz and his weapons any extra opportunities this week. The Eagles offense will make the Vikings pay for them, as Doug Pederson has proven to be an aggressive head coach who will take shots down the field, especially on second chances.