In Week 1, the Vikings were mostly let down by a lackluster performance on defense.
But the offense did its share in the loss as well. Minnesota committed costly penalties en route to an upset loss on Sunday. Now, the Vikings have to assess what happened and try to defeat a talented Cardinals team in Week 2.
It may help to make some adjustments on offense. Here is a list of possible changes the team can make:
Run the ball less on first down
Sep 12, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
The Vikings did not have a lot of success on first down, and some of that can be attributed to how often the team ran the ball. According to Paul Charchian of GuillotineLeagues.com, the Vikings ran the ball 14 times on first down, generating just 1.4 yards per carry during that stretch. Dalvin Cook is a great running back, but if a good defense knows what’s coming, the Vikings will have a harder time finding running lanes for him. The team has to mix it up more.
Run play-action more
Sep 12, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
The Vikings ran play-action with Kirk Cousins on just eight passing attempts in the Bengals game (Justin Jefferson‘s pass to K.J. Osborn was technically a play-action, so the team had nine in total), according to PFF. Minnesota has had success with Cousins on play-action passing in the past and that makes sense — the Vikings are a run-heavy team that can draw teams in with that type of play call. I get it, they were down for much of the game and in obvious passing situations quite frequently, but they need to do more of that in Week 2.
Find a way to get Justin Jefferson more involved
Sep 12, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) runs the ball in overtime against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Jefferson is good. So good, in fact, the Vikings should find a way to get him the ball more. Jefferson played well, but finished with five receptions for 71 receiving yards. Minnesota targeted Jefferson nine times, the same number of times it targeted K.J. Osborn. That’t not a small number of targets by any means, but it would be great if the Vikings found ways to get Jefferson the ball on screen passes and let him run it on jet sweeps, especially after having that jet sweep pass on film. Other than Cook, Jefferson may be the Vikings’ most explosive player on offense. The team could use a big game from him in Week 2.
Throw to tight ends more often
Minnesota Vikings tight end Tyler Conklin (83) makes a catch and is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt (57) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Cincinnati. The Bengals won 27-24. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
TE Tyler Conklin hauled in all four of his targets in Week 1. TE Chris Herndon was targeted twice and did not have a catch. Conklin has shown that he is capable of a big role in the offense. Herndon, who was traded to Minnesota right before the season started, may be more comfortable in the offense in Week 2. The Vikings would be harder to stop on offense if teams had to respect their tight ends in addition to their wide receivers. Minnesota should try and get them more involved.
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