The Vikings Did It All on Sunday
The Minnesota Vikings came into their Week 2 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers hoping to cement the performance against the New York Giants. Kevin O’Connell’s club had everything working in a game they never trailed.
The Vikings Did It All on Sunday
It would have been normal to have hesitations regarding the Vikings passing game. Sam Darnold was facing his first true test of the season without his second-best wide receiver. He responded by throwing for 268 yards on 26 attempts and added a pair of touchdowns.
Minnesota found their two-pronged running back attack incredibly effective on the ground. Although Aaron Jones couldn’t get much going on his nine carriers, Ty Chandler turned ten rushes into 82 yards. Jones supplemented his rushing looks with five receptions for 36 yards and salvaged an all-around productive day.
Darnold spread the ball effectively even without a top wide receiver available. Justin Jefferson hauled in four of his seven targets, including the impressive 97-yard touchdown. Behind Jalen Nailor, Trent Sherfield Sr., Brandon Powell, and Johnny Mundt all hauled in receptions. If there was a way to prove that Minnesota has a dynamic offense capable of being matchup-proof, then this was it.
Kevin O’Connell has Sam Darnold playing the best football of his life, and this weekend, he came against one of the best teams in the sport. The Vikings have now raced out to a 2-0 record and own the best mark in the NFC North division. They still have an uphill battle to climb if they want to substantiate the winning throughout the season. Nothing they did on Sunday should slow the hype train, though.
If this is how O’Connell can get his offense to play, and Brian Flores has the defense this dialed in, then the opponents will always be up against a difficult situation. San Francisco wasn’t supposed to roll the Vikings, but it wasn’t expected to end like this.
Everyone doubted Darnold and his coaching staff. That seems to have been a mistake.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
You must be logged in to post a comment.