3 Things the Vikings Must Change from Week 1 to Week 2
The Minnesota Vikings opened their 2025 regular season with a thrilling victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
Despite the victory, it’s clear that Minnesota has a few things to clean up if they want to be contenders this season. As they prepare for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, here are three things that must change from Week 1 to this weekend.
Contain the QB
The Vikings defense seemed to figure out Caleb Williams in the second half of Week 1, but the young quarterback’s best plays came when he was able to evade pressure and roll out of the pocket. The Vikings allowed him to escape pressure far too often, which resulted in Williams getting six carries that went for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Michael Penix isn’t the same rushing threat as Williams, but he showed in Week 1 that his mobility can be an asset to his game, which included a four-yard scramble and Superman dive for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of last weekend’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
An added challenge is in front of Minnesota now that Blake Cashman is on injured reserve, and Andrew Van Ginkel could be shelved this weekend due to a concussion. Minnesota will need its depth in order to keep Penix in the pocket.
Offensive Consistency
Especially against an offense like Atlanta’s that has explosive weapons all over the field, the Vikings will need to find much more consistency offensively than they had in Week 1.
The Vikings had just six points to their name in Week 1 until there were about 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and J.J. McCarthy hit Justin Jefferson for a 13-yard touchdown. That’s when the floodgates opened, resulting in three consecutive touchdown drives in the fourth quarter.
Before that though, the Vikings punted on six of their first nine possessions, and on another occasion, McCarthy threw that pick-six to Nahshon Wright.
Of course, this is a very limited concern at this point considering Week 1 was McCarthy’s first ever start, and it came in the hostile environment of Soldier Field. Hopefully, Week 2 will bring a bit more improvement in this department.
Limit Penalties
The Vikings weren’t terrible in this department on Monday night, being penalized eight times for 50 yards. However, those penalties went a little under the radar considering the Bears were penalized 12 times for a whopping 127 yards. Only the Tennessee Titans were penalized more yardage in Week 1 at 131 yards.
It should be a bit easier for the Vikings to avoid penalties while playing at home, but especially with all of their injuries on defense, they can’t afford to make things harder on themselves.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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