The Minnesota Vikings manhandled the Houston Texans in their Week 3 matchup, winning convincingly by a final score of 34-7.
Beating a solid team like Houston by such a large margin is a sign that this Vikings squad is legit, with the entire roster buying in on this impressive start to the season.
After such a strong win, is there that much for Minnesota to fix? In all honesty, not really. With that being said, this article may seem nitpicky as it points out some issues the team needs to work on. But we'll even go back to last season to find a key area for the Vikings to work on, so let's get right into it.
Problems the Minnesota Vikings need to fix before Week 4 vs. the Green Bay Packers
1. Pass Blocking
Minnesota's offensive line has done a pretty solid job this season. They've looked incredible when the Vikings have run the ball, something that they struggled with last year. The line has kept Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold relatively clean, but their pass blocking has still been lackluster.
While PFF isn't everyone's favorite resource, they have graded the Vikings offensive line towards the bottom of the NFL in terms of pass blocking.
The usual suspects, right guard Ed Ingram and center Garrett Bradbury, are once again failing, and they have accounted for a whopping 20 pressures allowed between the two of them.
Dalton Risner's possible return after Week 4 may help with him more than likely replacing Ingram. But the pressure allowed by Minnesota's offensive line this season, specifically the interior, needs to be a major focal point when draft time comes around next year.
2. Health
The Vikings, while sitting at 3-0, are still a pretty banged-up team. Darnold and star wide receiver Justin Jefferson both picked up injuries against in the team's Week 3 win Houston.
Darnold had an MRI on his knee, which came back as just a bone bruise, causing Vikings fans everywhere to sigh in relief. Jefferson ended up jamming his finger, which appeared to cause him to make some uncharacteristic drops against the Texans
Jefferson also came into the game with a quad contusion, though he played through that without any issues. The team is hoping that Addison and linebackers Ivan Pace Jr. and Dallas Turner can heal up after missing Week 3, as they face a critical early matchup against the division rival Green Bay Packers.
While Minnesota was able to beat a good Houston squad without some key players, it'd be much nicer for the Vikings to go into their Week 4 game as healthy as they can be.
3. Jayden Reed
The Packers have a litany of playmakers, but none are more explosive than second-year receiver Jayden Reed. Reed is a player who torched Minnesota last season in both of their matchups, and he has proven himself capable of being a big play threat whenever he touches the ball.
Obviously, the hope is for Minnesota to slow down the entire Packers offense, but Jayden Reed showed last season that he may need some extra attention.
In the two games that Minnesota and Green Bay played, Reed accumulated 10 catches on 14 targets, 172 yards, and two touchdowns. While Reed did not get any rushing attempts against the Vikings, his 119 rushing yards last season show that his running ability is something else Minnesota needs to keep an eye on.
The number of times that Reed touched the ball against Minnesota last year wasn't over the top, but he did a lot of damage whenever he got the ball in his hands.
Hopefully, Flores has learned from the mistakes made last season, and the Vikings can stop Reed from being so explosive on Sunday.