What did we learn about the Minnesota Vikings from their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Thanks to a 23-yard field goal by Dan Bailey with 1:49 left in overtime, the Minnesota Vikings were able to escape their Week 13 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday with a win.
As disappointing as it was to see that the Vikings needed overtime to beat an opponent who had lost 10 games in a row, Minnesota still got the win. And in the NFL, that’s all that matters.
Now at 6-6, the Vikings are in sole possession of the No. 7 seed in the NFC standings thanks to the Arizona Cardinals also falling to the Los Angles Rams on Sunday. If the playoffs started next week, Minnesota would be heading out on the road to take on the rival Green Bay Packers for the third time this season.
But they don’t and the Vikings still have four games left on their schedule before playing in the postseason can become a reality. With wins in five of their last six matchups, can Minnesota keep their second-half surge going and come out of these next four weeks with a spot in the playoffs?
Time will tell, but for now, let’s take a deeper look into what happened inside U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. What are some of the biggest takeaways from the Vikings’ narrow victory over Jacksonville?
A Minnesota defense without Kendricks would be a disaster
After a terrible first quarter, the Vikings defense was able to settle down and contain a Jaguars team that ranked 28th in the NFL in scoring heading into Sunday.
Minnesota allowed Jacksonville to accumulate 239 total yards and average 6.8 yards per play in the first half of the matchup. But then in the second half and in the overtime period, the Vikings were able to hold Jacksonville to 151 total yards and 4.4 yards per play.
Minnesota still probably allowed a bad opposing offense to move the ball up and down the field more than they should have. But the Vikings were without one of their top defenders on Sunday.
During Minnesota’s pre-game warmups, All-Pro linebacker Eric Kendricks suffered a calf injury and it forced the team to keep him on the bench against the Jaguars. Vikings reserve linebacker Todd Davis did his best to fill in for Kendricks, but the absence of one of the best linebackers in the NFL had a big impact on the performance of the defense on Sunday.
Jacksonville took advantage of Kendricks being out by tossing a bunch of their pass attempts to the tight ends on their roster. A good amount of the balls thrown by Jaguars quarterback Mike Glennon on Sunday were also sent toward the middle of the field where Kendricks normally lines up.
Luckily, Jacksonville proved why they are one of the worst teams in the league this year and they weren’t able to really capitalize on Minnesota being without their top linebacker. Against a tougher opponent, however, a similar outcome doesn’t seem very likely.
Let’s say Kendricks’ injury is severe enough that it causes him to miss the Vikings’ next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Minnesota not having their All-Pro linebacker out on the field is going to cause Bucs quarterback Tom Brady to salivate at the thought of all the opportunities he can create for his tight ends and receivers with routes over the middle.
If Kendricks is forced to miss any time due to the injury he sustained on Sunday, it could result in the end of the Vikings’ hopes of getting back into the playoffs this season.
Jefferson should be the 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year
Once again on Sunday, the Vikings got a marvelous performance from rookie receiver Justin Jefferson. The talented pass-catcher finished Minnesota’s win over the Jaguars with nine catches for 121 yards and one trip to the end zone.
Now with 1,039 yards this year after Sunday, Jefferson currently ranks fourth in the NFL in receiving yards and his 19 catches of at least 20 yards are the most by any player in the league this season.
Selected one pick in the draft order behind Randy Moss, Jefferson is quickly turning into the closest thing to the Hall of Fame receiver the Vikings have ever seen. Minnesota’s current first-year pass-catcher is also on pace to break Moss’ franchise record for receiving yards in a season by a rookie.
With everything that Jefferson has been able to already accomplish, he deserves more than just consideration for the 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He should now be the favorite to earn this season’s honor.
Most have been assuming Los Angeles Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert will be given the award at the end of the season. But why should the honor go to someone whose team is 3-9 this year after losing five of their last six games?
Jefferson has been making a legitimate difference for Minnesota during their second-half turnaround while also putting up monster numbers. The Vikings’ recent success is what should give their young receiver the edge over Herbert for the 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Finding a punt returner needs to be a priority for Minnesota in 2021
The Vikings thought they were getting a talented new return-man this past offseason when they used a fifth-round pick to draft former Miami wide receiver, K.J. Osborn. Unfortunately for Minnesota, Osborn hasn’t produced like the team thought he would when they drafted him.
So far this season, the Vikings rookie has gained a total of 27 yards on seven punt returns. His longest return of the year actually happened against the Jaguars on Sunday when he returned a punt for a gain of eight yards.
Combine Osborn’s lack of return yards with the fact that he’s fumbled twice in the last three weeks when fielding punts, it’s mind-boggling why Minnesota continues to utilize him as their punt returner.
No matter what happens during the rest of the current season, it is an absolute must that the Vikings make finding a new punt returner a priority in 2021. Whether it be through free agency or the draft, Minnesota needs to give the job to someone who is not only more reliable, but able to actually turn a punt return into a significant gain as well.
Minnesota is four weeks away from making history
Raise your hand if you thought back in Week 6 when the Vikings were 1-5 that they would be in the middle of the NFC playoff race with four weeks left in the season. Okay, if you raised your hand, put it down because you’re lying.
Not even the most optimistic people in Minnesota’s fan base thought they could turn things around after opening up the year with losses in five of their first six games. But the Vikings clearly made the necessary adjustments during their bye week and it has resulted in them climbing their way back to a .500 record during the last six weeks.
In the entire history of the NFL, only three teams have gone on to make the playoffs after starting a season with a 1-5 record. If things go right for Minnesota during the next four weeks, then they will become the fourth team to accomplish this rare feat.
FiveThirtyEight currently has the Vikings favored in two of their final four games. Only getting two more wins and finishing the season with an 8-8 record is probably going to make getting into the playoffs pretty difficult for Minnesota.
6 free agents the Vikings should already be thinking about for 2021
WIth the 2020 season more than halfway over, who are some of the 2021 free agents the Minnesota Vikings should already be thinking about?
If the Vikings want to improve their postseason chances and not be forced to depend on things that are out of their control, getting at least three victories in their final four matchups is what will need to happen. This should be enough to result in Minnesota earning a spot in the playoffs for the second year in a row.