Why Vikings narrow win doesn't prove they are in trouble come playoff time

Today at 02:34 PM

Minnesota Vikings receiver Jordan Addison admitted a nervous moment in Sunday's win, and head coach Kevin O'Connell raised eyebrows with his comments about Daniel Jones. And the narrow victory over the Bears doesn't prove the Vikings are in trouble come playoff time.

Close games happen all the time in the NFL. Even when teams are heavily favored, sometimes they struggle to do anything more than win a squeaker. Case in point: Kansas City's narrow win over the Panthers.

The main thing for the Vikings is they won the game. And it came against a division rival on the road. This victory not only doesn't prove they are in trouble come playoff time, it proves they may have a chance to make real noise in the postseason.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold got over the hump

The game against the Bears presented a perfect opportunity for Darnold to prove he can't navigate the Vikings to playoff wins. If he had performed the same way he did against Jacksonville a couple of weeks ago, it would have been laid out for the Vikings to be dismissed despite their sparkling record of 9-2.

Instead, Darnold threw for a season-high 330 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. And he did it without overly relying on superstar receiver Justin Jefferson. Jordan Addison had eight catches for a career-high 162 yards while T.J. Hockenson totaled 114 yards receiving.

It's not like Darnold earned "real deal" status, but this game shows he has discovered enough of an NFL game to win in the playoffs if supported by a strong surrounding cast. He has that with the Vikings.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell said he trusted Darnold on the game-winning overtime field goal drive, according to espn.com.

"It was just the ability to overcome, and his trust in me and my trust in him," O’Connell said. "We were gonna do it via the pass on that drive for the most part, try to mix some runs in there if we could. But I think that when your best is required, I had no hesitation of trying to attack what I was seeing and trying to get our guys going to get down there and give Parker a chance."

The Vikings are built for anywhere

Yes, Minnesota plays indoors. But the Vikings are not a typical indoor team. NFL teams are averaging lower completion percentages on the road (64.7%) than at home (66%). But the Vikings are at 68.1% on the road with a 67.6% mark at home, according to vikings.com.

Also, O'Connell's teams have a 15-8 record in road games. All of these numbers are impressive, and O'Connell deserves a ton of credit for having this prepared no matter the environment.

“We’ve tried to build a system that can travel and can play, whether it’s a completion-based pass game with explosives that we’re hunting via the marriage of the run and the pass, or running the football,” O’Connell said. “Whether it’s a team that’s got a real strong pass rush or strong coverages or a match program to Justin, sometimes that added element of tempo allows us to alleviate some of that while still having a good chunk of our offense at our disposal. And then, I think it’s just a constant layer of getting drives going, getting some significant gains without going backwards.”

The Vikings' defense is for real

They rank No. 10 in total yards allowed per game. And they are No. 1 in the NFL against the run at a stingy 74.7 a contest. And perhaps most importantly, the Vikings are fifth in the league with 17.9 points allowed per game. Yes, they give up yards through the air, but those yards aren't converting into massive points. And that's how you do it in the NFL.

They have Jonathan Greenard, who is among the NFL leaders in quarterback pressures. They have Andrew Van Ginkel, who has two pick-sixes and nine sacks. And so much more, like defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who drew praise from O'Connell after the Colts game, according to Sports Illustrated.

"Harrison was fantastic and you felt him coming off the rock, eating up double teams," O'Connell said. "It’s one thing to eat up blocks and allow our linebackers to run and safeties to run and make tackles, but resetting the line of scrimmage and — how many times do I pause the tape and see all of our interior D-linemen on their side of the line of scrimmage when the back has the ball in their hands."

Phillips said he views his role as an enforcer, according to Purple Insider via Sports Illustrated.

"I'm here to stop the run and bring the physicality," Bullard said. "That's what they brought me here for, that's what I hang my hat on. Making sure every game you see how physical I can be. Every week I try to go out and be the most physical person out there…Physicality, setting edges, not trying to play in the backfield. It's not always pretty, it's always crowded and you can't always tell who does what with us three up front."

It's a matter of staying healthy

The Vikings already lost Christian Darrisaw to a season-ending injury. He is one of the best left tackles in the NFL. They have moved forward with four straight wins since Darrisaw went out.

However, this team can't afford another major injury like that and still survive in the playoffs. In particular, Jefferson, Hockenson, Addison, and Aaron Jones need to stay in the lineup on offense. Defensively, they need to stay intact across the board.

This doesn't mean they can't have any injuries. They need to be fully healthy when the playoffs arrive. And that will give them a shot at reaching the NFC Championship game.

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