Guess What? Vikings OL Will Be Fine.
The Vikings finished their 2022 regular season with a win in Chicago, completing the sweep against the Bears. Both teams were without some starters — the Vikings because they wanted to get ready for the postseason and the Bears because their season had long been over.
We learned some things about the Vikings in the regular season finale one week ahead of the wild card matchup with the New York Giants.
The OL Is Okay
Most Vikings fans envisioned a disaster when offensive tackle Brian O’Neill and center Austin Schlottmann left the game in Green Bay. It didn’t look like the Vikings could field a serviceable offensive line for the remainder of the game against the Packers. However, after a week of practice, third-string center Chris Reed was perfectly fine in Chicago.
Oli Oduh played well in both games, allowing only two total pressures. He is built to play offensive tackle. The idea to move him to guard was a head-scratcher in 2021. While the Vikings’ offensive line will not be one of the elite groups like the Eagles’, the dropoff from the original starting lineup should not be devastating.
Guess What? Vikings OL Will Be Fine.
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The Giants have a solid pass rush, at the very least better than the Bears, especially when rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux is on his A game. He will test Udoh on the edge. Dexter Lawrence is a force in the middle, so Reed and Ingram will have their hands full. There’s still a chance that center Garrett Bradbury can return in time.
Dalvin Might Be Cooked
The running back was one of the most feared players in the league in his prime. In the last couple of years, however, he had a few good games, but overall, Cook has been just a guy. His special ability to gain two more yards on every run by wiggling out of tackles and hitting defenders with nasty juke moves is no longer there.
Alexander Mattison looking more dynamic is a huge alarm. The Vikings could save almost $8 million in cap space by cutting him in the summer, which is a real possibility at the moment.
Duke Shelley’s Revenge
Many Vikings had their revenge moment in 2022, and Shelley had his in Chicago. The Bears waived him on the final cut day in August. A few days later, the Vikings signed him to their practice squad, and he got promoted to the active roster midseason. Since then, he has been a significant contributor.
The Bears played him in the slot, mainly because of his size, but he is much more comfortable outside. In Minnesota, he is allowed to play outside and has been a star for the purple team. Per PFF, Shelley is the seventh-best cornerback.
He allowed a passer rating of 57.9 in 2022, the fourth-lowest of all cornerbacks with at least 200 coverage snaps. Shelley recorded his first career interception against the Bears. He has stolen the starting cornerback job from Cameron Dantzler and should continue to start in the postseason. After the season, the Vikings should try everything to re-sign him.
Jalen Nailor Continues to Flash
Nailor was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan State. The rookie had a breakout game in garbage time against the Packers when he caught three passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Against the Bears, the Vikings featured Nailor after pulling the starters.
He caught four passes for 62 yards. In addition to his actual production, he had a lot of potential production. He often ran past defenders and was open, but the quarterbacks either didn’t see him or didn’t have time to throw the ball to him. The rookie should be a factor in the passing game going forward as a dangerous deep threat and a big part of the Vikings’ future.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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