Here’s Where the Vikings Offense Ranks Through Week 8

Josh Frey |

Nov 2, 2023

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) does a Lambeau Leap with Vikings fans Craig Lindsay, Nick Johnson and Chris Gangl against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, October 29, 2023, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Vikings won the game, 24-10. © Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK.

Week 8 of the NFL season has come and gone.

The Minnesota Vikings had a bittersweet weekend. While they dominated the Green Bay Packers throughout Sunday afternoon, they also lost starting QB Kirk Cousins and now have to go through the remainder of the season without one of the centerpieces of their offense.

oday, we will be breaking down where the Vikings offense through Week 8 as a whole, and where individual players stand. 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.

NOTE: Individual PFF Grades are sorted to include players with at least 20% of dropbacks, carries, or targets. With many of the teams now having their bye weeks behind them, we’ll also be transitioning towards per game numbers for the team statistics.

Team Offense

NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers — Oct 29, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) celebrates a first down reception against Green Bay Packers safety Rudy Ford (20) and cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) during their football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Brian Powers-USA TODAY Sports

Total Offense

Points Scored per Game: 21.9 (T-14th)
Total Yards per Game: 353.8 (10th)
Plays per Game: 62.3 (20th)
Yards per Play: 5.7 (6th)
Turnovers per Game: 1.88 (29th)
First Downs per Game: 20.5 (T-10th)
Penalties per Game: 5.25 (T-5th-lowest)
Third-Down Conversion Percentage: 41.3% (11th)
Red Zone TD Percentage: 47.8% (22nd)
Overall Offense PFF Grade: 79.7 (5th)
Total EPA/play: -0.01 (11th)

The Vikings played one of their more efficient games of the year on Sunday, and the rankings suggest that. They’ve jumped into the top half of the league in points per game, and they are now among the top 10 in total yards and first downs. They’re on the verge of being a top 10 group in third-down conversion percentage too after a horrendous start to the season. We’ll see if that changes without Cousins, but these are all positive signs for the Vikings.

Passing Offense

Completions per Game: 27.4 (1st)
Pass Attempts per Game: 39.4 (1st)
Passing Yards per Game: 280.5 (2nd)
Net Passing Yards per Attempt: 6.7 (7th)
Passing TDs per Game: 2.25 (2nd)
Interceptions per Game: 0.63 (T-9th)
Passing PFF Grade: 85.6 (3rd)
Pass-Blocking PFF Grade: 75.2 (3rd)
Receiving PFF Grade: 73.8 (9th)
EPA/pass: 0.02 (17th)

Rushing Offense

Carries per Game: 20.6 (31st)
Rushing Yards per Game: 73.3 (31st)
Yards per Carry: 3.6 (28th)
Rushing First Downs per Game: 3.63 (31st)
Rushing TDs per Game: 0.13 (T-31st)
Fumbles Lost per Game: 1.25 (32nd)
Rushing PFF Grade: 64.5 (T-30th)
Run-Blocking PFF Grade: 72.5 (2nd)
EPA/run: -0.16 (21st)

Without Cousins, the Vikings inevitably are going to have to place more emphasis on their running game, which is a bit of a scary thought. Minnesota is in the 30s as a team for just about every statistic with their rushing offense this season. They finally had a rushing touchdown on Sunday, so that’s a good sign. Hopefully, the group is able to put together some more production moving forward to take pressure off Jaren Hall.

Individual Players

Vikings Statistical Rankings Through Week 8: Offense — Oct 29, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) gets pressure from Green Bay Packers linebacker Kenny Clark (97) in the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

QB Kirk Cousins

Completions: 216 (1st)
Pass Attempts: 311 (1st)
Completion Percentage: 69.5% (5th)
Passing Yards: 2331 (2nd)
Passing First Downs: 112 (2nd)
Passing TDs: 18 (T-1st)
Interceptions: 5 (T-15th-most)
PFF Grade: 86.1 (6th among 36 qualifying QBs)

RB Alexander Mattison

Carries: 106 (13th)
Rushing Yards: 390 (20th)
Yards per Carry: 3.7 (28th)
Rushing TDs: 0
PFF Grade: 55.7 (56th among 59 qualifying RBs)

RB Cam Akers

Carries: 52 (39th)
Rushing Yards: 142 (67th)
Yards per Carry: 2.7 (41st)
Rushing TDs: 1 (T-47th)
PFF Grade: 67.9 (38th among 59 qualifying RBs)

WR Justin Jefferson

Targets: 53 (T-33rd)
Receptions: 36 (T-32nd)
Receiving Yards: 571 (14th)
Receiving First Downs: 28 (T-13th)
Receiving TDs: 3 (T-21st)
PFF Grade: 89.9 (4th among 100 qualifying WRs)

WR Jordan Addison

Targets: 52 (T-37th)
Receptions: 36 (T-32nd)
Receiving Yards: 482 (T-23rd)
Receiving First Downs: 21 (T-28th)
Receiving TDs: 7 (2nd)
PFF Grade: 70.6 (42nd among 100 qualifying WRs)

Sep 10, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) celebrates his first career touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

WR K.J. Osborn

Targets: 47 (T-47th)
Receptions: 30 (T-50th)
Receiving Yards: 360 (T-53rd)
Receiving First Downs: 16 (T-55th)
Receiving TDs: 2 (T-45th)
PFF Grade: 55.0 (T-93rd among 100 qualifying WRs)

TE T.J. Hockenson

Targets: 68 (T-13th)
Receptions: 53 (T-10th)
Receiving Yards: 478 (T-27th)
Receiving First Downs: 27 (T-15th)
Receiving TDs: 3 (T-21st)
PFF Grade: 71.4 (7th among 43 qualifying TEs)

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

Also Read:
It Sure Sounds Like Kirk Cousins Will Be Back with Vikings in 2024

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.