Where is the fire for this Minnesota Vikings team? Where is the passion? Why don’t the players seem to be as pissed off as the rest of us? I have to admit, to people, in everyday conversation, that the Vikings suck this season. There isn’t a viable argument I can make to the contrary. I hate that. I absolutely hate it. To make matters worse, the zipper broke on my winter coat, and my only presentable alternative is a vintage leather Vikings jacket that my old lady got me for Christmas last year:
Now, as you can clearly see, it is a sweet jacket, and it has held up to the bitter cold, but it feels so much better wearing it when my favorite football team can win a game every once in a while.
A win? What does that feel like?
We haven’t seen this team win since they upset the Lions, OVER A MONTH AGO. Our offense can’t buy a touchdown, and there isn’t a quarterback on the roster who can consistently complete passes to their wide receivers. They can’t hit the broad side of a barn, and IF they managed to even do that, the ball would somehow deflect off the barn and into the waiting arms of a Seattle Seahawks’ defender.
The only positive takeaway I gathered from watching the Vikings get SHUT OUT last week was the fact that I was on vacation in the great American Southwest, visiting my in-laws. Instead of being greeted after the loss by the bitter cold of the upper Midwest, I had the opportunity to soothe my anguish in the Arizona sun. On the field, though, the only positive takeaway that is sticking with me is the hope that Dallas Turner might actually be a legitimate first-round talent. Outside of a few bright spots on defense, including Turner’s potential breakout game, last Sunday was one of the most disgusting losses I have witnessed in my 25-plus years as a Vikings fan.
You gotta get angry. You gotta get MEAAAN!
You know what I haven’t seen happen in a long time in a Minnesota Vikings game? A fight. I’m talking about an on-field brawl where helmets come off, and players manifest their frustrations into a physical altercation. I mean, hell, even the one-win Tennessee Titans are showing more fight than this year’s Minnesota Vikings squad. Why is that? What is missing from this team? Where is this squad’s nastiness?
I understand this is a frustrating season for the players, but instead of channeling that aggression and using it to battle against opposing teams, the frustration is manifesting in the form of pouting and talking about dumbing down the offense during press conferences (looking at you, Aaron Jones). The cracks are starting to show, and today’s game against the Commanders is one that the Vikings have to have. If this team, particularly the offense, doesn’t show the desire and ability to compete, Kevin O’Connell will officially be on the hot seat and in the immortal words of Zapp Brannigan: “the rest of the dominoes will start to fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.”
Take it where you can get it.
What do the Vikings need to do to beat the Commanders? It all starts with the $80 million offensive line. That unit has to be the tone setter for the entire game. With Aaron Jones nursing an injury and possibly not playing at 100%, I would love to see some angry runs from Jordan Mason to begin the contest. The Vikings’ powerful halfback has the chance to run over the Commanders’ defense, which is giving up 133 yards per game on the ground this season.
We have seen an increase in rushing attempts by the offense in the past few weeks, but it still hasn’t been enough. The Vikings have been working with a negative game script for much of the season, but for this team to have any chance to win today, they have to commit to running the football to open things up for the passing game.
With McCarthy out of concussion protocol and in line to start, much of the media discourse has been around him just going out and playing. Not worrying about mechanics but focusing on reads. One thing that I hope Kevin O’Connell said to him this week was, “If you get through your reads and don’t see anyone open, tuck that sucker and run.”
Think of the young quarterbacks who have had success since last year’s draft. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye all use their legs to make plays. Williams does so primarily behind the line of scrimmage, but Daniels and Maye execute designed run plays or use their legs to keep drives going when the play breaks down.
Aside from the touchdown on the option run against Chicago in week one, I have not seen much from KO as far as calling plays that utilize McCarthy’s sneaky athleticism. If a young quarterback has confidence issues or is thinking too much, maybe the best thing for him to do is to run like his life depends on it. If McCarthy consistently pulls the ball down to run, that will also keep the defense honest. As it stands, when McCarthy doesn’t see an open receiver in his initial reads, he has been standing in the pocket like a statue and getting absolutely lit up.
There are lessons to be learned.
A prevailing anecdote that I have heard frequently in the past couple of weeks is that Kevin O’Connell’s system needs a veteran quarterback to operate properly. While the evidence is strong that this may be the case, the unfortunate reality is that this team doesn’t have a viable veteran option. And why isn’t there a capable veteran on the offense? The indicator is starting to lean toward the failures of this team being on the shoulders of General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Again, the roster is what it is, so O’Connell’s inability, or unwillingness, to adjust his offensive scheme has only exacerbated and magnified the issue. Or maybe the blame falls on Josh McCown, who is the one primarily tasked with J.J. McCarthy’s development. Yes, the same Josh McCown that analysts were floating around last year as a head coaching candidate.
Regardless, a win against the Commanders is going to save people their jobs and my sanity, for now. I don’t care how they get it done; I just want a win. I CRAVE it. I NEED it. I have heard enough woe is me mindsets, and I frankly am over the excuses. If this Minnesota Vikings team doesn’t show an amplified display of toughness, determination, and grit, then I am afraid that darker days are ahead for this forlorn franchise.
It is a down year for sure, and I want to be optimistic, but it is hard when the performances that we see on the field week in and week out are lackluster and show little to no signs of improvement. Maybe this is just me being dramatic. NFL franchises have seasons where they drastically fall short of expectations, or don’t play up to the level of which they are capable. Hopefully, it’s just that, and this season is just a bump on the road to winning championships. However, my optimism hinges entirely on whether or not we see an angry Vikings team take the field for the Week 14 matchup against the Washington Commanders.
It’s time to put up or shut up.
Skol.
- Jesse M.
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