There was a sense of accomplishment when the Minnesota Vikings walked off the field on Sunday afternoon. The first game of the Kevin O’Connell era went better than anyone expected. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers left Minneapolis with their tail between their legs, and any memory of Mike Zimmer’s regime was fading into the past.
Life was good for the Vikings, but it was just one game. The NFL season is a 17-game marathon that could extend to 21 if a team has Super Bowl aspirations. Clearly, the Vikings want to be that team, but to do it, O’Connell will have to ace his next challenge in Philadephia.
Zimmer did plenty of good things during his tenure with the Vikings, but he didn’t maintain an even-keel personality. When things were going well, Zimmer was a loveable curmudgeon who could keep his team rolling. When things went poorly, the Vikings turned into an epic dumpster fire.
Zimmer initially did an excellent job of this in his first season. In a year where Adrian Peterson had a child abuse scandal, he led the Vikings to a 7-9 record. The following season, they faced little to no resistance on their way to an NFC North title.
Then Teddy Bridgewater suffered a severe knee injury in 2016. The next thing you know, an offensive coordinator resigned, defensive backs went rogue, and Zimmer nearly went blind.
Sam Bradford got injured early in 2017, but Zimmer rode Case Keenum to the NFC Championship game. The Vikings signed Kirk Cousins, and Zimmer turned into that kid forced to eat Brussels sprouts. He fired John DeFillipo, and they brought in Kevin Stefanski for the lone appearance of the Cousins era. Then came the last two seasons, which culminated in an epic mess in 2021.
No matter what the Vikings did, they couldn’t find their footing. They lost the first two games but rebounded to throttle the Seattle Seahawks at home. They scored seven points in a loss to the Cleveland Browns and barely beat the Detroit Lions…in Minneapolis.
The Vikings beat the Carolina Panthers in overtime and then lost to Cooper Rush. They almost blew a 29-point lead to the Pittsburgh Steelers and allowed a game-winning drive to the winless Lions. Zimmer became Sideshow Bob in a field full of garden rakes.
Comparing O’Connell to Zimmer after one game isn’t fair, but the Vikings kept the same roster that has gone through all these highs and lows. Every time they do something good, the cliff is coming. That cliff could be coming in Philly.
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Lions 38-35 in Week 1, but it was far from perfect. Philadelphia’s defense was a mess and allowed D’Andre Swift to run for 144 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries. Jordan Davis was drafted to stop this from happening, but defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon only allowed him to play 22 snaps.
Gannon’s defense performed better against the pass. However, Jared Goff was only under pressure on 28.2% of his dropbacks, 26th among qualifying quarterbacks in Week 1.
The offense put forth a much better performance, but it was rooted in the running game. Jalen Hurts took a league-high 20 hits in Week 1 and ran the ball 17 times. The Eagles ran for 216 yards, and A.J. Brown racked up 155 yards in his debut, but it was unsustainable.
There’s no way a Vikings team that was so dominant in Week 1 could lose to a team like this. Yet again, this team has proved that anything is possible.
Justin Jefferson was unstoppable against the Packers but should have a harder time against the Eagles. O’Connell’s scheme was brilliant in directing Jefferson away from Jaire Alexander, but the Eagles won’t likely take the same approach.
The Vikings’ secondary did well to slow down the Packers’ receivers, but even their own quarterback doesn’t like his group of pass-catchers. Cameron Dantzler was the only player with a PFF grade above 60, and it looks worse if Christian Watson catches a wide-open touchdown on the first play of the game.
Even with all of their success, there were still moments where Minnesota’s offense flamed out. Adam Thielen only had three catches for 36 yards. K.J. Osborn had fewer receiving yards (14) than Johnny Mundt (17). Irv Smith Jr. had just two targets. The Packers kept everyone not named Jefferson in check.
Then again, this could be the norm. O’Connell’s offense feels like one that can have a different hero every week. If Slay takes out Jefferson, it could be Thielen’s turn to go off. If Cousins has a rough game, Dalvin Cook can carry the load on the ground. Even the defense could be the reason why the Vikings win the game. It can all be true.
It boils down to whether O’Connell can get his team to play the same way against the Packers. If they do, it should be another victory on the way to redemption. If not, it could be more of the same for fans who wanted a change.
