Here’s Where the Vikings Offense Ranks Through Week 4

Josh Frey |

Oct 4, 2023

Oct 17, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) with the ball as Carolina Panthers cornerback Keith Taylor (28) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports.

Week 4 of the NFL season is officially behind us.

The Vikings finally got off the schneid this week with a victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. While the victory was largely credited to their defense, there were some positive developments from the offense as well, particularly in the running game.

Today, we will be breaking down where the Vikings offense ranks through Week 4 as a whole, and where individual players stand in terms of their statistics. Shout out to Pro-Football-Reference, Pro Football Focus, and nfeloapp.com for the numbers that went into this article. Stay tuned for the defensive rankings later today as well.

Team Offense

Total Offense

Points Scored: 90 (16th)
Total Yards: 1483 (9th)
Plays: 240 (23rd)
Yards per Play: 6.2 (3rd)
Turnovers: 11 (Most)
Penalties: 21 (T-6th-fewest)
PFF Grade: 78.2 (5th)
Total EPA/play: -0.02 (T-13th)

We’re another week through the season, and the Vikings still have more turnovers than any other team in the NFL. Minnesota continues to move the ball up and down the field with ease and rank third amongst all teams in terms of yards per play and are top-10 in total yards.

This is despite a Week 4 game against the Carolina Panthers that didn’t go very smoothly on offense, and they ran just 48 offensive snaps during the game.

Passing Offense

Completions: 108 (1st)
Pass Attempts: 157 (3rd)
Net Passing Yards: 1149 (3rd)
Net Yards per Attempt: 6.9 (T-5th)
Passing First Downs: 58 (3rd)
Passing TDs: 11 (1st)
Interceptions: 4 (T-8th-most)
Passing PFF Grade: 74.5 (T-9th)
Pass Blocking PFF Grade: 72.7 (4th)
Receiving PFF Grade: 74.8 (5th)
EPA/pass: 0.07 (14th)

Rushing Offense

Carries: 73 (32nd)
Rushing Yards: 334 (28th)
Yards per Carry: 4.6 (T-7th)
Rushing TDs: 0
Rushing First Downs: 13 (32nd)
Fumbles Lost: 7 (Most)
Rushing PFF Grade: 63.8 (26th)
Run Blocking PFF Grade: 77.4 (2nd)
EPA/run: -0.39 (32nd)

The Vikings rushing offense finally saw some steady production in Week 4, allowing them to climb out of the basement in some of these rankings. Most notably, they have jumped all the way up to 4.6 yards per carry, moving into the top 10 in the NFL.

The addition of Cam Akers to the backfield seems to have done a lot for Minnesota already, and if they can simply cut down on the turnovers, they should be able to compete with most teams if they keep the rushing production up.

Individual Players

Oct 1, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports.

QB Kirk Cousins

Completions: 108 (1st)
Pass Attempts: 157 (2nd)
Completion Percentage: 68.8% (10th)
Passing Yards: 1214 (3rd)
Passing TDs: 11 (1st)
Interceptions: 4 (T-6th-most)
PFF Grade: 73.8 (14th among QBs)

RB Alexander Mattison

Carries: 56 (19th)
Rushing Yards: 250 (15th)
Yards per Carry: 4.5 (17th)
Rushing TDs: 0
Rushing First Downs: 10 (T-25th)
PFF Grade: 59.7 (44th among RBs)

WR Justin Jefferson

Targets: 47 (3rd)
Receptions: 33 (T-3rd)
Receiving Yards: 543 (1st)
Receiving TDs: 3 (T-3rd)
Receiving First Downs: 26 (1st)
PFF Grade: 91.2 (3rd among WRs)

Oct 1, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) catches a touchdown as Carolina Panthers safety Sam Franklin Jr. (42) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports.

WR K.J. Osborn

Targets: 17 (T-88th)
Receptions: 8 (T-132nd)
Receiving Yards: 117 (92nd)
Receiving TDs: 2 (T-14th)
Receiving First Downs: 6 (T-76th)
PFF Grade: 50.9 (T-94th among WRs)

WR Jordan Addison

Targets: 20 (T-69th)
Receptions: 13 (T-72nd)
Receiving Yards: 185 (T-50th)
Receiving TDs: 2 (T-14th)
Receiving First Downs: 6 (T-76th)
PFF Grade: 61.4 (67th among WRs)

TE T.J. Hockenson

Targets: 31 (T-21st)
Receptions: 25 (T-12th)
Receiving Yards: 203 (T-44th)
Receiving TDs: 2 (T-14th)
Receiving First Downs: 12 (T-22nd)
PFF Grade: 72.7 (8th among TEs)

NOTE: This article originally appeared on our sister-site, PurplePTSD.com.

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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.