After a tough two-week road trip unlike any team has ever been through, the Minnesota Vikings are surely happy to have their bye week arrive at the right time.
This is a Vikings team that has gone through injury after injury on both sides of the ball. They have been able to fight through all of it, holding a 3-2 record, thanks to the depth of the roster stepping up.
Even with that great depth, Minnesota has undoubtedly had its struggles. The biggest concerns with the team come from the offense not performing at the high level they were at a season ago.
They are currently ranked 25th in the NFL in total offense, averaging just 305 yards per game. Whether it's the pass or run, the offense hasn't been able to get it going.
While that stat on the offense is scary, there's one that is even worse, truly showing where the team has struggled and might be the one thing holding them back from reaching their full potential.
The Minnesota Vikings have been really, really ugly on third down
Looking at the third-down conversion rates for each team in the NFL. The Tennessee Titans have the worst conversion rate in the NFL at 28.99%. Vikings fans won't love to read this next sentence, but Minnesota is the second-worst at 31.03%.
The Vikings 3rd down conversion percentage, through 5 weeks.
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) October 8, 2025
- 31.03% (31st)
As of now, only the Titans are worse in the entire NFL. Hopefully, this is something Kevin O'Connell can break down and fix post-bye week.
Being pretty much dead last in this stat isn't going to fly. pic.twitter.com/XvBarh6fmS
What's the common problem? When the Vikings have a long way to go on third down, they struggle.
For example, in the Vikings' incredible 21-17 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, there were five times where the Vikings had a third and six or long that were not converted. Only once did they have a third down of that length that they made the first down.
Even when they had a third and one in the Browns game, a simple hand-off to Jordan Mason got stuffed in the line. A banged-up offensive line could have played a role in that, but the inconsistency is there for the offense when its backs are up against the wall.
It all comes down to what they are doing on first and second down. The Vikings have to get at least six yards on the first two downs for their conversion rate to increase. Sounds simple, right?
The key for the Vikings is that they perform significantly better when they run the ball on first down. Minnesota has struggled after passing on first down, with many of those attempts against the Browns ending in completions, leading to the team falling behind on downs.
Once the Vikings discover this trend and continue to follow it, this will make their lives easier on offense. Take less pressure off of Carson Wentz or J.J. McCarthy, and let the running backs Mason and Aaron Jones handle the rest on first down.