The Minnesota Vikings suffered their first loss of the season this past weekend at the hands of the division foe Detroit Lions. It was a hard-fought battle, with Minnesota losing during the game's final moments after Lions kicker Jake Bates converted a 44-yard field goal.
The Vikings will look to get back on track on Thursday when they face the struggling Los Angeles Rams, a team that is no pushover but has certainly seen better days.
Minnesota still has an impressive 5-1 record, but their loss to Detroit exposed some holes that the team will need to patch up if it wants to make a real run at a ring this season. The Rams have ranked in the bottom half this season for both points allowed per game and points scored per game, making this short week a prime opportunity for the Vikings to get back in stride.
After a tough loss to the Lions, what are some issues Minnesota needs to fix before its Thursday night matchup against Los Angeles?
Problems the Minnesota Vikings need to fix before Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams
1. Run Blocking
The Vikings entire offensive line struggled in the run game this past weekend, though Aaron Jones was able to mask a lot of the issues with an impressive day on the ground.
While left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right tackle Brian O'Neill can get a pass, the appearance of right guard Ed Ingram at the bottom of PFF grades is becoming too common for Minnesota to ignore.
The Vikings may need to look into using fullback C.J. Ham more as a blocker out of the backfield, as he has always proven to be a reliable player in that regard. Having him help up the middle may be one of the only solutions to improving Minnesota's interior struggles, as veteran guard Dalton Risner is more than likely not the saving piece the Vikings need.
Whatever the case, Minnesota needs to work on their run blocking, and even despite Jones being a bright spot this season, the team cannot keep relying on him to save the poor blocking effort up front.
2. Tight End Performance
The Vikings getting star tight end T.J. Hockenson back soon will be a godsend for the team's passing attack. With that being said, Minnesota still may want to look on the market to add another TE to their roster, as the trio of Johnny Mundt, Josh Oliver, and Robert Tonyan are not reliable as receiving threats in the NFL.
With Hockenson returning after a major knee injury, having a reliable TE2 that can spell him some snaps without sacrificing any threat of pass-catching is something that Minnesota needs.
Oliver is amazing when it comes to working as a blocker, and Mundt is solid in that regard too, but the two are essentially non-factors in the passing game, making it easy for defenses to scheme around them.
If Minnesota had a reliable TE2 that had just an ounce of pass-catching ability, this could help spread out defenses, as the total disregarding of Oliver and Mundt makes the team's offense easier to defend.
3. Interior Pass Rush
The Vikings greatly need a big man in the middle of their defense who can do some damage as a pass rusher. While Harrison Phillips has once again been a stud as a run-stopper, he was never expected to be a game wrecker as a pass rusher, and that is something that Minnesota is missing heavily.
While names like Dexter Lawrence and Jeffrey Simmons are fun to toss around as potential trade targets, the chance that the Vikings can land one of them may be a bit of a stretch, as they are relatively young and elite players at their position.
Could Minnesota look to reunite with a familiar face like Dalvin Tomlinson? Or maybe look at the potentially rebuilding Rams and ask about Kobie Turner.
Whoever Minnesota chooses to pursue, there is no denying that interior pass rush help should be a priority moving forward. While they may not get help right now, maybe Brian Flores is working on scheming together better interior help. We'll just have to wait and see.