The Minnesota Vikings have plenty of problems to fix during their bye week.
Things haven’t gone well for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2020 season so far. There was plenty of hope that Mike Zimmer’s team could reach the playoffs again this year despite losing some prominent veterans in free agency. But what’s transpired during the first six weeks of the season for the Vikings has been nothing short of a disaster.
Minnesota currently finds themselves at 1-5 and staring down the barrel of a losing 2020 campaign following a disappointing home loss to the Atlanta Falcons, who were without a victory until their visit to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
In truth, the bye week couldn’t be coming at a better time for the Vikings and there is much work to be done in pursuit of turning around their fortunes.
Just how much worse can it get, right?
That will ultimately come down to the players. Minnesota’s coaching staff can give them instructions and try to improve things schematically all they want. But if those taking the field do not show some pride in their own performance, then this season will go down as one of the worst from an achievement perspective given the talent at the Vikings’ disposal.
In truth, this year’s Minnesota team might be past the point of no return. And given their upcoming salary cap constrictions, it is going to be immensely difficult for the team’s decision-makers to make the sort of bold moves we have become accustomed to seeing from the organization.
For now, let’s take a look at four key things the Vikings need to improve during their bye week.
Interior protection
The interior offensive line of the Vikings is a mess this season. They came into the 2020 campaign with plenty of questions surrounding their ability to produce the goods and if anything, they have been even worse than originally feared.
Pat Elflein hasn’t been involved much due to injury. But considering how woeful his level of play has been in recent seasons, that might be a blessing in disguise in the grand scheme of things.
Those who have stepped in to fill the void have been less than stellar, to put it mildly. Dru Samia has been so porous on the line of scrimmage that he’s earned one of the NFL’s lowest grades from Pro Football Focus this year and Dakota Dozier hasn’t exactly set the world on fire over on the other side.
Minnesota center Garrett Bradbury has been hit or miss, which is not exactly what the team hoped for when they selected him with their first-round in 2019.
Put all these factors into consideration and it is not hard to see why this group has become a real weak link for a Vikings offense that has gone through its fair share of problems.
Just how much this current group can adjust in such a short space of time before their Week 8 game at the Green Bay Packers is unclear. Minnesota might just have to ride out the storm with what they have and look to significantly bolster their options in free agency next year or in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Cornerback woes
Getting rid of Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, and Mackensie Alexander during free agency earlier this year might have been for the greater good. But this hasn’t exactly come off as a wise decision for the Vikings given how much their new-look group has struggled through the first six weeks of the season.
Injuries haven’t helped their cause. Mike Hughes has been in and out of the lineup during a year where he was expected to slot in as the No. 1 option, which has been a frustrating trend for the former first-round pick during his career.
Holton Hill has been nothing short of abysmal wherever he’s lined up. Much was expected of the talented corner after he missed a large part of the 2019 campaign due to suspension. But things haven’t turned out as expected and it would be a huge surprise if Minnesota kept him around beyond this season.
The rookie duo of Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney has shown some promise. But rookie cornerbacks also tend to go through their share of growing pains at a position that does leave players exposed more than most.
Turning things around will not be easy, especially since teams now have some solid film on how to make the most out of Minnesota’s deficiencies in this area.
Cousins’ confidence
Things have to get better and quickly for quarterback Kirk Cousins. The beleaguered signal-caller goes into the bye week on the back of his worst performance of the season and getting his confidence up before he takes the field again is going to be crucial for the Vikings if they want to gain any semblance of respectability going forward.
There will always be those who question whether Cousins is good enough to take Minnesota where they want to go. But the fact of the matter is that the Vikings are tied down to the quarterback until at least 2022 thanks in no small part to the two-year extension he signed this offseason to give the team some salary cap breathing space.
Cousins came into the year on the back of an impressive 2019 campaign that resulted in a Pro Bowl appearance and a first playoff victory on the road. There seemed to be growing confidence that this could be the springboard for bigger and better things in the future. But the signal-caller has reverted to playing with a sort of inconsistency that is infuriating at times.
Cousins already has 10 interceptions to his name this year, which is four more than he gave up during the entire 2019 regular season. It will be up to Mike Zimmer and Gary Kubiak to alter the offensive scheme to allow Cousins to get his confidence up while taking into consideration the obvious problems surrounding his protection.
Run defense
One of the problem areas that is being overlooked regarding the Vikings is their inability to stop the run. Minnesota has performed fairly well during the Mike Zimmer era and this is something that will be hurting the head coach more than anyone.
The Vikings are giving up 127 yards-per-game on the ground through Week 6, which is a rise of 15.3 yards from the previous season. Much of this can be attributed to the team losing Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen in free agency earlier this year. Both were formidable presences on the line of scrimmage in Minnesota and they each achieved a considerable amount during their time with the franchise.
Danielle Hunter going on injured reserve with a neck issue has been another blow to the Vikings’ ability to stop the run this year. Their difficulties in the secondary might have gathered the most attention so far this season. But this is another key area that needs to improve considerably otherwise it is going to be a long end to the season.
The likes of Jaleel Johnson and Shamar Stephen have to do a better job of plugging the gaps from the defensive tackle spots. Games are often won in the trenches and it is no surprise that Minnesota’s struggles on both sides of the ball have been evident in this region.
This is one area where they have the talent to make adjustments. Hopefully, this extra time to reflect and improve will make all the difference.