The Minnesota Vikings lost their third game of the season to the Cleveland Browns in Week 4. What are some positive takeaways from the defeat?
The Minnesota Vikings are sitting at 1-3 after the first four games of the 2021 season. Many expected the team to be much better than this, and if a few calls and a couple of kicks would’ve gone their way they would be.
The start has been very disappointing as there are plenty of players on the roster who aren’t living up to expectations. The offensive line has been a mixed bag and after all the new faces the team added on defense, that side of the ball is performing very much like it did a season ago, and that is not a good thing.
While the team is trending in the wrong direction and coming off another deflating loss, there are still some good things that happened that they can build off of and take pride in. Here are the silver linings from the Vikings’ third loss of the 2021 season.
Berry’s Punting
The Minnesota Vikings’ offense started the game with a nearly flawless first drive marching down the field and taking plenty of time off the clock. After that, it sputtered and really struggled to move the ball. They had to rely on the foot of their punter to flip field position and he came through in a big way.
Berry was a busy man on Sunday afternoon. He booted the ball six times for a 48.5-yard average. He got the team out of bad field position numerous times and was a big reason why the Vikings were able to hang with the Browns as long as they did despite a flaccid offensive attack.
Berry wasn’t just good on Sunday, the guy has been money all season long. The new purple punter has booted the ball 21 times on the season, averaging 48.5 yards a punt. That is a huge improvement from a season ago over Britton Colquitt who struggled to average about 45 yards a punt.
There were some concerns when the Vikings made the late switch at the punter position, but Berry has proven it was a wise choice by Rick Spielman and the front office.
Darrisaw was active
There was a ton of excitement around the Vikings last April when they were able to trade down into the early twenties and still get the guy the coveted in Christian Darrisaw. The big Hokie from Virginia Tech was seen as the team’s future left tackle and one who would start from day one.
He was coming off a lingering groin injury suffered in college but it was assumed he’d be fine by the start of the season. Well sometime over the summer, Darrisaw reaggravated that groin injury and had to have minor surgery. This set him back, as he missed a plethora of practices that kept him off the field as opening day approached, forcing Rashod Hill into the starting lineup.
Hill had a rough first week but did play better against the Cardinals and Seahawks. He was flat-out awful against Myles Garrett and the Browns not giving Kirk Cousins much time to go anywhere with the football. Luckily for the Vikings and their fans, that may have been the last they’ll have to see of Hill starting.
Christian Darrisaw was active against the Browns, playing on the field goal team. This is a small step, but the fact he suited up and saw real game action speaks volumes about his availability. The Vikings have nothing to lose by making the switch now, and the Lions are a great team for Darrisaw to get his feet wet against. Hopefully, the Vikings make this move and they can finally see what their first-round draft pick brings to the table. It has to be better than what they’ve gotten out of Rashod Hill.
Dantzler is clearly better than Breeland
The Vikings whether forced into it or not, finally made the switch at cornerback from Bashaud Breeland to Cameron Dantzler and that move paid dividends. Breeland was listed as out with an illness, but the only thing making anyone sick was the way he’s covered receivers this season.
Breeland has been a completion machine, giving a wide berth to any receiver he’s faced. Vikings’ opponents have caught on to this and have targeted him heavily. Dantzler came into the game and suddenly the Vikings’ defense was vastly improved.
Dantzler stepped onto the field and immediately blanketed Odell Beckham Jr. He was on him very tight and helped keep him to just two catches on the day for 27 yards. Dantzler was so good he even broke up a pass with the back of his head. He graded out with a 74.5 PFF grade which is well over double that of Breeland’s on the season.
Dantzler is also a major upgrade in run defense, as he’s an extremely solid tackler. This showed up on Sunday as he racked up five total tackles on the day, often being the first one to make contact with the Browns’ stud running backs.
Unfortunately, Dantzler will likely miss the Lions’ game as he tested positive for COVID-19 but upon his return, the Vikings need to insert him into the starting lineup because he proved against the Browns that he’s a much better player than Breeland.