The Vikings Have One Quiet Little Problem
The Minnesota Vikings are absolutely cruising for the first four weeks of the 2024 regular season, taking on all comers and leading the scoreboard for three hours, 32 minutes, and 31 seconds of real game time.
The Vikings Have One Quiet Little Problem
In fact, the Vikings have only trailed for about three minutes of the season, as the club, almost out of nowhere, became suddenly dominant.
There’s one problem, however, and it’s masked by winning — the giveaways.
Interceptions and fumbles still plague Minnesota, causing the franchise to rank fifth-worst in the NFL as of October 1st. Put plainly, Kevin O’Connell’s team is not protecting the ball, but nobody really cares because the win-loss standing is so shiny and flawless.
Minnesota had this problem last year, too, but the club had a 1-3 record at the same time on the calendar. Then, it mattered. Now, it does not.
The Vikings have handed opponents the ball seven times through four games, a pace that would fetch 30 turnovers by season’s end if nothing changed. In 2023, Minnesota ranked second-to-last per most offense and special teams turnovers, so the organization has only improved by a whisker. The Vikings ended with 35 turnovers, a statistic chided by coaches and the team’s fans.
The turnover problem is alive and well, yet there’s one difference that acts as deodorant — the Vikings are forcing turnovers on defense and special teams, unlike last year.
So far in 2024, Minnesota has generated 10 turnovers, a breakneck pace only outdueled by the Green Bay Packers, a squad that has forced 12. That’s why so many turnovers flooded Sunday’s box score — both teams force them efficiently.
So, what is the prognosis? Well, it’s threefold. O’Connell and Co. can simply fix the turnover bug and fully effectuate its current elite-team status, and all will be right in the purple world. Alternatively, if the Vikings insist on continuing the giveaway bonanza, maintaining the current clip of creating defensive turnovers will cleanse all sins. As long as Minnesota routinely wins the turnover battle per game, they’re in tip-top shape.
Otherwise — the grim option — should the Vikings keep coughing up the rock but then stops forcing turnovers on defense, well, that’s the recipe for disaster. It’s what ruined the 2016 Vikings, a club that started 5-0 before utterly collapsing after a Week 6 bye.
If the picks and fumbles are just part of the 2024 culture on offense and special teams, Brian Flores’ unit must keep up. Plain and simple.
Not for nothing — the Vikings are 21-0 under O’Connell when winning or breaking even via the turnover battle.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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