The Minnesota Vikings won an ugly game at a rainy and sloppy Soldier Field on Sunday 9-3, making it a 2-0 start to the season- both against division opponents.
Stock Up
Brian Flores. His out-generaling Ben Johnson and holding the Bears to 3 points, after crushing the Packers last week with his unique blitzing scheme, is raising eyebrows around the league.
Dallas Turner. He continues to show he has made the leap into the top tier of edge rushers in the league. He was credited with ten quarterback pressures against
the Bears, according to preliminary PFF charting, including a sack to seal the victory.
Jalen Redmond. He stepped up his disruptive play against the Bears. He was credited with 2 quarterback pressures, a batted pass, a key forced fumble on the one yard line, and four tackles- all of them stops. Those plays made a difference in the game.
Will Reichard. He’s been automatic for a while now, and once again made all three field goal attempts. But he also did so in poor conditions for a kicker which added a degree of difficulty.
Isaiah Rodgers. He allowed just one reception on two targets for seven yards in his coverage, with a PBU that was nearly an interception to ice the game and a blocked field goal to prevent the Bears from tying the game late.
Caleb Banks. It was still a rough game for Banks overall, but he did make a few plays and showed some progress. He had four tackles- three of them defensive stops- and one quarterback pressure. Still a long way to go in terms of consistency among other things, but he did show progress in his second game.
Aaron Jones. Jones ground out over 100 yards rushing (23/105, 4.6 ypa) when the Vikings needed him to be a bell cow, absorbing some big hits including a big helmet-to-helmet shot, while also holding on to the ball in adverse conditions.
Defensive Secondary. On a day when one slip on a sloppy field could have cost the game, the Vikings defensive secondary provided next to nothing for Caleb Williams to capitalize on down the field. Tyson Bagent was able to take advantage of a prevent defense on the last drive to hit some shots down the field, but other than that the Bears didn’t have much success in their downfield passing game.
Kevin O’Connell. While the execution was limited by Carson Wentz and the weather- in that order- KOC had the team well-prepared to win a tough road game in sloppy conditions. No turnovers, few penalties, and just enough playmaking on both sides of the ball to prevail. It wasn’t pretty, but 2-0 with both wins over division opponents starting a backup quarterback is impressive.
Stock Down
Demond Claiborne. Claiborne was active for the Bears game but seems to have been eclipsed by DeeJay Dallas on the depth chart. He only played two snaps on offense.
Buy
The Vikings ability to leverage situational football, special teams, and turnovers to make up for otherwise poor offensive production. The Vikings are 2-0 despite an offense that ranks last in total yards and most yards-based metrics.
Sell
The Vikings offensive production. Granted it was poor conditions in Chicago on Sunday, but for the second straight week the Vikings offense has been fairly anaemic in its ability to drive the field and score touchdowns. The Vikings rank last in total yards after two weeks. That’s not a recipe for success the rest of the season.
Buy
Carson Wentz as a capable backup quarterback.
Sell
Carson Wentz as a starting quarterback.
Buy
Playing on grass. I’m not a zealot when it comes to grass or turf, but most players prefer a well-prepared grass surface and I get that. Slide once on turf and you understand the difference.
Sell
Playing on a soggy, rain drenched Soldier’s Field. I’m not that nostalgic for old-school football when it comes down to it, at least the bad weather variety. It makes for a frustrating, lackluster game most of the time. And this type of field adds to injury risk. They say hamstring injuries are more likely on this type of field and guess what- there was a high profile hamstring injury.
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