Vikings

4 Vikings Who Have Been Carrying the Load This Season

Oct 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller (15) runs the ball after a pass reception against Minnesota Vikings middle linebacker Eric Kendricks (54) during the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings are are 1-3 after four games and have plenty of issues on both sides of the ball, but they seem to be taking a positive turn in recent weeks and are coming off of their first victory of the season. Through this tumultuous start, there have been plenty of players who have struggled, but there have also been players who have done more than their fair share to drive winning.

Here are four players who have been carrying the load for the Vikings through the first four games of the season:

Dalvin Cook

Cook has been a horse so far this season, running for 424 yards and six touchdowns through the first four games. Those numbers would be even better had offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak properly used him in the first two contests. He has been able to use his speed to get to the edge and outrun pursuing linebackers on his way to big gains. He has also found success going between the tackles, making a quick juke to avoid a tackle and then using that burst to pick up six to seven yards a pop.

The entire Vikings’ offensive attack clicked once the team began feeding Cook the ball. The play-action pass opened when teams became focused on shutting down No. 33. Kubiak has discovered that if this team is going to have any success moving the ball, the offense has to go through Cook. If he stays healthy this year, he could have some of the best seasons ever posted by a Vikings running back.

Yannick Ngakoue

Ngakoue’s season got off to a slow start. He was out of shape to start the year, having missed the majority of the preseason, and that showed during the opening game against the Green Bay Packers — Ngakoue tired quickly and struggled to get off of blocks. Since then, the newest Vikings edge rusher has been extremely impressive. He’s accounted for around 90% of the Vikings’ pass rush, has had a sack in three straight games and had a streak of two games with strip-sacks going before that was snapped against the Houston Texans.

He has to be playing this well because he’s getting no help from the rest of the defensive linemen. Ifeadi Odenigbo has been especially disappointing and has struggled to generate any sort of pressure. D.J. Wonnum has started to come on as of late, and Jalyn Holmes has gotten more run than many expected but has had little success. With Danielle Hunter‘s status for the season in doubt, Ngakoue will continue to be the Vikings’ best pass rusher. Hopefully, he gets stronger as the season goes on, continuing his streak of excellent play.

Eric Kendricks

Kendricks has been a beast all season long, and like most of his time in the league, he is getting little recognition for it. The Vikings got off to a slow start defensively this season, and many players looked lost or disinterested in the first two weeks, but Kendricks has been a beast since opening day.

He’s accumulated 45 tackles so far and has at least 10 tackles in every game. It bears repeating: He’s had 10 tackles in every game. Kendricks has had to account for the loss of Anthony Barr and seems to have expanded his range. He’s making tackles behind the line of scrimmage, down the field and on either sideline.

His pass defense is again off the charts, as he continues to show that knack for timing passes perfectly, coming in out of nowhere and swatting balls away before the intended target can get their mitts on it. The Vikings have had a very poor start to the season, but things would be much worse if No. 54 wasn’t roaming the middle of the field.

Adam Thielen

Last year Thielen was injured and only played in 10 games. This season he returned fully healthy, but without Stefon Diggs. The loss of his long-time receiving partner seems to have no effect on him, however, because he is clearly Kirk Cousins‘ favorite option in the passing game and Justin Jefferson has broke out in the last two weeks. So far this year Thielen has caught 20 balls for 284 yards and four touchdowns.

He continues to make the difficult catches he’s been known for his entire career. Even when he has multiple defenders on him, the ball somehow ends up in his hands. He’s also been used a few times in the backfield and been given the ball on jet sweeps, where he’s able to use his underrated speed and ball carrying ability to pick up extra yardage.

The Vikings’ offense took a while to finally get going, but it hasn’t been for a lack of effort on Thielen’s part, who by all means looks to be back to form after an injury-plagued 2019 campaign.

Vikings
Harrison Smith Has Become Minnesota’s Lone Survivor
By Kaleb Medhanie - Mar 27, 2024
Vikings
Andrew Van Ginkel Brings Versatility and Energy To Minnesota’s Defense
By Matt Fries - Mar 27, 2024
Vikings

Malik Mustapha Is the Perfect Mid-Rounder To Bolster Minnesota's Safety Depth

Oct 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller (15) runs the ball after a pass reception against Minnesota Vikings middle linebacker Eric Kendricks (54) during the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings have done a good job of patching holes in their defense this offseason. The additions of Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Blake Cashman […]

Continue Reading