The Minnesota Vikings shut out the Washington Commanders 31-0 on Sunday. It was the first time a team was shut out the week prior to a shutout victory since 1992. The defense was dominant and the offense was efficient. It was a beatdown from the start. It’s a rare treat to enjoy an easy win. Let’s take a peek at whose fault it is…
J.J. McCarthy
The team opened the game with a long 7-play, 61-yard drive and followed that up with a 19 play 98 yard drive. You can’t do that without execution from the QB. He was decisive from the start. They dominated possession with accurate passing and quick decision-making from McCarthy. The 21 yard pass to Jordan Addison on 3rd and 8 drew applause from Justin Jefferson on the field. A few plays later, McCarthy hit Jefferson for a 1st down on 3rd and 12 to get into the Red Zone. The Vikings had 7 possessions: 4 touchdowns, 1 field goal, 1 punt, and a 12-play drive to end the game.
Andrew Van Ginkel
Van Ginkel has one of his famous batted ball interceptions this week. He nearly took it to the house if it wasn’t for a great hustle play by Scary Terry. It came as the Commanders were driving down the field their opening drive in the 2nd half. He also assisted on the Hargrave fumble recovery to end Washington’s last drive of the game.
Harrison Smith
It was a vintage game for Harrison Smith. He looked like he turned the clock back a few years. He got his 1st interception on the year, right after Van Ginkel got his. He was also credited with 3 pressures by PFF. I loved seeing the aggressive utilization of Smith.
Kevin O’Connell
KOC has rightfully been criticized by the fan base after a rough few weeks. He didn’t panic and came back with a solid game plan. McCarthy’s development is more important than wins at this point. If he can turn what looked like the worst QB ever, to a functioning QB like this past week, he deserves a ton of credit. It’s one week, but it was a great step in the right direction.
Javon Hargrave
Hargrave is on here for his fumble recovery. So often you see that ball bounce out of bounds. He had the spatial awareness to ensure he recovered the ball in bounds. A shutout is a huge emotional win for the entire team. That likely doesn’t happen without Hargrave making a smart hustle play at the end. Van Ginkel set Mariota up and Hargrave finished him and the Commanders off.
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