Three weeks, three ugly performances, but three wins. That's the bottom line for the Vikings after another ugly win. It wasn't pretty, especially on offense, but the Vikings walked away from their Week 3 matchup against the Bucs with a hard-fought 23-16 win.
If you're an optimistic Vikings fan, you're hanging your hat on the record, the performance of the defense, and the Vikings' resilience. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has the Vikings' defense playing like one of — if not THE — best units in the NFL. The defense extended their streak of 4+ sack games to six, keeping the Vikings in the game as the offense continues to sputter.
That resilience is important. Good teams find a way to win, even when one side of the ball is struggling. That's
the sunny version of the story.
On the other end of the spectrum, it's equally valid to be incredibly pessimistic about the Vikings despite the 3-0 record. Kyler Murray made his return to the Vikings lineup after missing the majority of the first two games with a concussion, and to say he struggled would be an understatement. Murray finished the game with a completion percentage barely above 50%, threw for fewer than 200 yards, and just could not get the offense in a rhythm. How much of the offense's struggles are on him is a valid conversation — one we'll get into briefly later on in this column — but at the end of the day, if you're a pessimistic fan, you're likely asking yourself, "Would Carson Wentz be a better option?"
No matter which side of the conversation you fall on, the fact remains that the Vikings are undefeated after three games, and that's reason to celebrate on Victory Monday. Let's take a look back at the good, bad, and ugly from the Week 3 win over Tampa Bay.
The Good: Remembering That Jordan Addison Exists
Coming into the game, Addison had been a non-factor in the Vikings offense. With Justin Jefferson leaving the game with an ankle injury (more on that in a minute), Kevin O'Connell's hand was a bit forced, and it turned out to be a great thing for Minnesota. In the second quarter, Addison showed up in a big way, making a circus catch along the sidelines for a big gain, then following it up with a long pass for a touchdown. Addison almost added a second score late in the quarter when quarterback Kyler Murray just missed him on a deep pass.
The Bad: Lack of Offensive Creativity
The Vikings offense through three games has been nothing short of a massive disappointment. They've been hamstrung to some degree by injuries, with Kyler Murray missing most of the first two games, and Justin Jefferson leaving this game with an ankle injury. But the Vikings' early-season offensive woes go far beyond that, and it boils down to a lack of creativity in the offense.
O'Connell seems to be unwilling to play into Murray's strengths with play-action passes and roll-outs. There's been a renewed effort to emphasize the running game, but through three games those efforts have largely failed to open up the passing game. That lack of creativity has made the passing offense predictable, which contributes to the stagnation we've seen through three games.
The Ugly: Justin Jefferson Injury
To say that the Vikings' offense has run through Justin Jefferson through the first two weeks of the season would be an understatement. Jefferson accounted for nearly all of the wide receiver production through the first two games, with teammate Jordan Addison coming into the Week 3 matchup with just two catches and 21 yards. Jefferson was, rightfully, the focal point of the offense. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they were forced to pivot quickly in Week 3.
Jefferson left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. That forced the Vikings' hand in featuring Addison more in the passing game — a decision that did pay dividends in the end, with Addison having a spectacular second quarter and game overall. However, the excitement over the Vikings remembering Addison is clearly tempered by the Jefferson injury. Luckily, it seems like Jefferson avoided serious injury, with O'Connell seeming optimistic on Jefferson's status after the game
Jefferson is arguably the best wide receiver in the league and has been for years. If he's out for an extended period of time, that's only going to serve to magnify the issues Minnesota is having at quarterback. Right now the prognosis seems positive, but ankle injuries can have a tendency to linger.
No matter who has been at the helm, Jefferson has been the safety blanket this offense needs. That rapport isn't there with Addison. Will Addison be able to develop into that safety blanket for Murray (or Wentz)? We may be about to find out, but that's certainly not the strength of his game. Addison is at his best when the focus is on Jefferson, and he's left one-on-one to make splash plays in a downfield passing attack.
Minnesota's offense is going to have to change if Jefferson is out for long. Can they make that change and keep on their winning ways?
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: The Good, Bad, and Ugly After Vikings' Week 3 Win over the Bucs
