The Minnesota Vikings through 3 weeks of the 2022 NFL season are the 4th seed in the NFC and are a top 10 offense, with 1,032 all purpose yards and 8 touchdowns. This adds up to 344 yards per game and 2.6 touchdowns per game. The Vikings are making a statement this year and are heating up.
The Vikings exploded in week 1, following Justin Jefferson’s career high game of 184 yards and 2 touchdowns. They defeated the Green Bay Packers, 23-7 and started the season 1-0. They looked strong as they went into their week 2 matchup, a highly anticipated matchup between the young Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, but the Eagles ultimately crushed them.
From Jalen Hurts, the Eagles quarterback, to an amazing performance of 333 passing yards, 57 rushing yards, and 3 total touchdowns, the Eagles dominated the Vikings on both sides of the ball. The Eagles clamped down on the Vikings and held them to only 1 touchdown, and only 264 yards of offense. Kirk Cousins threw 27/46 for 221 yards and 3 interceptions, including 1 touchdown pass to Irv Smith Jr. The hype for the Vikings died down plenty as they could not get their superstars Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook going, both going for 42 yards receiving and 17 yards rushing respectively.
Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, the Vikings offense again started slow, down 14 points midway through the 2nd quarter, but then overcoming that deficit to tie the game 14-14 going into halftime. The Lions again took a 10 point into the 4th quarter and the Vikings again overcame it, winning the game on a 28-yard touchdown from Kirk Cousins to K.J. Osborn with 45 seconds left.
The Vikings new offensive scheme still looks like it will take some time to get everything into place, but according to new Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell, “We are just going to keep evolving” and “I have to do a good job preparing and equipping them…”. Expect the Vikings offense to make a burst throughout the league as they move on to week 4 against the New Orleans Saints in London.
Throughout the rest of the season, fans can anticipate the Vikings to be a top 5 offense, once the new scheme picks up. With the weapons the Vikings have, they can make a scary emergence as a top 5 team in the league. With this new and improved offense, paired with the Vikings already scary defense, the Vikings will be able to make a push far into the playoffs and maybe to the Super Bowl.
