4 problems the Minnesota Vikings must fix for playoff success in 2022
By Dean Jones
Third quarter woes
Even though the Minnesota Vikings are sitting pretty at 10-2 right now, their effort coming out after the halftime break has been nothing short of abysmal. Things fall off substantially for reasons unbeknown to fans, which comes with most games being much closer than they need to be.
The Vikings might get away with this during the regular season. But the margin for error decreases substantially in the postseason and this complication must be solved by Kevin O’Connell and his staff over their remaining five games.
Whether it’s complacency, a lack of adjustments, or opposing teams figuring things out, it has to stop. Minnesota is getting outscored heavily in the third quarter and this drop-off is not in keeping with what the team is putting together over the course of most contests they’ve been involved in this season.
O’Connell is a rookie head coach learning on the job. Perhaps this complication can rectify itself over time, but the Vikings’ aspirations have changed and time is now of the essence.
Just why things are going so horribly wrong remains a mystery. If this was a one-off then fair enough, but it’s happening almost every game and unless this riddle gets solved effectively, it will jeopardize their hopes of an elusive first Super Bowl.