Happy Holidays, Vikings fans!
I find myself wondering what’s going through Kevin O’Connell‘s head this holiday season. As he prepares for his second Christmas in Minnesota, I wonder if the California boy has gotten used to the piles of snow on the ground or the taste of hot dish at local Christmas parties. How does an NFL coach balance the playoff hunt and family obligations this time of year? And, more importantly, how will he get his offense to keep pace with this high-flying Detroit Lions attack this Sunday?
Before Santa Claus comes to town, Ben Johnson and the Lions’ offense will first. With that becomes a daunting task for an opposing play-caller.
Detroit’s offense is one of the best in the NFL. They have an elite play-caller, a tandem of great running backs, and a dynamic collection of receivers. They’re third in the league in total offense, averaging 394 yards and 27.3 points per game. The emergence of star rookies in tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs has taken a good unit from last season to another level.
Minnesota’s defense has played well above expectations this season under new coordinator Brian Flore. Still, they’ll have their work cut out for them on Sunday, especially given some of the weaknesses they put on tape last week during their collapse against the Cincinnati Bengals. Given the level of talent and coaching on Detroit’s sideline, it would be naive to think that they won’t also crack Flores’ defense. But while the Flores vs. Johnson matchup will be fascinating, it’s the duel between these two offensive playcallers that intrigues me.
Not long ago, Vikings fans were raving over our bright, offensive play-caller. KOC has shown the ability to scheme up an exciting offense in Minnesota, particularly when isolating his superstars in one-on-one matchups. Even with some inconsistency this season as injuries mounted, the Vikings have found ways to get their playmakers in position to make some magic happen.
The offense came up flat in overtime last week, but they made enough plays to win that game. Ty Chandler had a breakout performance, giving the team their first truly explosive game on the ground this season with 132 yards on 23 carries. Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson had good afternoons, combining for 195 yards and two touchdowns courtesy of Addison. And all of this was with Nick Mullens pulling the trigger.
Mullens did not light Cincinnati on fire last Sunday, but he gave Minnesota’s offense signs of life we hadn’t seen since early November when Josh Dobbs was still the talk of the league. He was not spectacular, but he allowed O’Connell to operate his offense the way the team had repped it all of training camp. Mullens knew what he was looking at, how to get the team into the right checks, and made a few nice throws.
If the Vikings win this game against the Lions and keep their playoff hopes alive, they will need the offense to be even better than it was in Cincinnati. Detroit’s defense has been prone to its own collapses this season and has been averaging 25.1 points allowed over the past six games. It’s a defense that’s proven susceptible up front, giving up 126.5 rushing yards a game over the past six weeks and totaling only 2.1 sacks per game on the season.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: the Vikings are desperate. If there’s anything left in O’Connell’s bag of tricks, it’s time to pull them out. These next two home games against Detroit and the Green Bay Packers will be essential to stay ahead of .500 NFC teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams — not to mention the dreaded Packers themselves. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Minnesota goes 0-2 against the Lions in the next few weeks and still sneaks into the seventh seed. This Sunday’s matchup is O’Connell’s best shot.
Fans have been frustrated with O’Connell’s offense the past few weeks, from the brutal end of the Josh Dobbs saga to last week’s failure to convert in overtime. KOC could use a bounce-back performance to garner the fanbase’s favor again. With Nick Mullens making another start and Brian O’Neill likely missing time, keeping pace with the Lions could be a tall order.
But Minnesota has playmakers, and O’Connell has proven he can endure hardship and find ways to win during his short Vikings tenure. If he can scheme up another quality game plan against this vulnerable Lions defense, Minnesota may be able to make enough plays to keep themselves in the playoff hunt down to the wire.
