The Vikings Got Rid of Their Boogeyman
It may not completely feel like it, but the Minnesota Vikings confronted their most haunting demon.
Turnovers ravaged the season’s first four games, causing the club to start 1-3 out of the gate and fall to 1-4 after a valiant effort versus the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.
The Vikings Got Rid of Their Boogeyman
Many Vikings fans — and this website — speculated that if the team could simply fix its damn turnover bug, smooth sailing may lie ahead. Well, quietly, Minnesota indeed rectified the turnover sins, and wouldn’t you know it? The team hit a 4-4 record after the repair.
Of course, the Vikings have not totally ended all turnovers, but one per game is better than the NFL standard, and in fact, is quite acceptable (if that’s all it is — one giveaway per game).
From Week 1 to Week 4, so Vikings games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, and Carolina Panthers, Minnesota had tabulated 11 turnovers — or almost three per game. That’s nauseating, and it plopped the Vikings in the NFL’s basement per giveaways.
Now, in Weeks 5 through 8, the turnover woes have stabilized, and the Vikings are actually conducting ball security at an efficient clip. In the last four games, the Vikings have turned the rock over four times, which isn’t masterful but isn’t 11 times like the first four weeks.
Here’s the stat to absorb:
Vikings Turnover Ranking,
Fewest Giveaways,
2023:
Week 1-4: 32nd
Week 5-8: 4th
That’s right. Folks yearned for Minnesota to stop fumbling and tossing picks at a worst-in-the-league clip, and the team has fielded the request to the tune of a Top 4 clip in the last four games.
Because the Vikings turned the ball over so often in the first four weeks, their gross turnover total still scrapes the bottom of the league (29th), but recency suggests the problem is fixed, at least for now.
Meanwhile, with quarterback Kirk Cousins out of the season, the Vikings will presumably turn to Jaren Hall if no veteran quarterback is added in the next several days. Maintaining a low turnover total will be tricky with a raw passer, but the “other guys,” the playmakers, have stopped fumbling.
The Vikings take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, a team ranking 28th in giveaways in the last four weeks.
Interestingly, the aforementioned Chiefs have now turned the ball over more on offense and special teams than the Vikings in 2023, if that can be believed.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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