3 things the Vikings need to improve heading into Week 11

Creating Turnovers

This has been a thorn in the Vikings side all season long. Bounces just haven’t seemed to fall in Minnesota’s favor this year and even though they’ve generated 15 turnovers during their first 10 games, they should still have many more.

Against the Cowboys in Week 10, the Vikings’ defense didn’t miss out on any loose balls. But they sure dropped a couple of game-changing interceptions.

The first missed opportunity went to Minnesota corner Mike Hughes. It was near the end of the first half and Hughes was in coverage on Dallas receiver Amari Cooper. The ball came sailing their way, Hughes broke on it a bit late, and the ball bounced right off of his hands. He had nothing but green turf in front of him and he would’ve taken that thing to the house for an easy six points.

Later on the Cowboys’ last drive of the game, another huge opportunity came the Vikings’ way. Dallas was trying to quickly move the ball down the field to set up a Hail Mary attempt to potentially win the matchup. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott felt some pressure and he hurried his throw. The pass went towards Minnesota corner Mackensie Alexander and just like Hughes, he let the ball bounce off his mitts.

That one also would’ve been a touchdown that would’ve sealed the game and saved Vikings fans from a few grey hairs they nervously grew in the final minutes of the contest.

The good thing for the Vikings secondary is that this is an issue they can work on. They can’t control the way the ball will bounce when it’s fumbled or stripped, but they can spend some extra time on the JUGS machine catching balls after practice.

This should be a point of emphasis for Minnesota this week and something Mike Zimmer should make every corner work on after practice. The Vikings could’ve easily had 14 points off of turnovers against Dallas and eventually, they will need those big plays to win games in the playoffs.