Vikings @ Panthers
Final Score: Vikings 21, Panthers 13
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)
The meeting of two 0-3 teams was as uninspiring as both these franchises have been across the opening month of the season. Once again the Minnesota Vikings were plagued by turnovers and poor decision-making, epitomised by an early sideline throw from Kirk Cousins that was jumped on by Sam Franklin, who returned the interception for a 99-yard score. Across the trenches, Bryce Young struggled to find any rhythm outside of passes over the middle to veteran wideout Adam Thielen, who had a productive day against his former team.
The Vikings showed a bit more quality when it counted in the second half but it was by no means convincing. It was more a case of what the Panthers couldn’t do on offense than Minnesota taking the game away from Carolina.
99-YARDS!
No stopping Sam 😤 pic.twitter.com/3SzM0NRIvj
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 1, 2023
Three Up
- Justin Jefferson – his fourth 25+ fantasy point game of the season, the wideout’s star continues to rise and he is immune to a bad day from his quarterback
- Alexander Mattison – if the Vikings are playing the hot hand then look no further than Mattison, who now has 223 scrimmage yards in the last two games. He is only missing touchdowns to bump his fantasy output
- Adam Thielen – Thielen is locked in as a WR1 in this offense with a healthy 31 targets across the last three contests
Three Down
- Bryce Young – the No.1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft looks very much like a deer in the headlights with a poor offensive line and limited weapons in the passing game
- K.J. Osborn – the boom and bust stigma around Osborn could be true as the wideout was near anonymous in this contest after two weeks of touchdown-salvaging fantasy production. Jefferson at all costs if times get tough
- Miles Sanders – the Carolina backfield is uninspiring and muddled and despite Sanders getting the goal line touches he has been ineffective so far – Hubbard is eating away at Sanders’ volume too
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: 12/19, 139 Yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 2 Sacks | 1 Carry, 0 Yards, 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Fantasy managers will be despondent after a usually productive Cousins posted a disappointing 11.56 fantasy points in Yahoo! after completing just 12 passes against a mediocre Panthers defense. Cousins was hampered by two bad first half interceptions, both on drives in and around the red-zone that took away points for his team. The second was a late throw that was then tipped and lopped in the air. Late throws – a trait of Cousins for most of this outing that cost him.
Up for grabs 🙌
Kamu claimed it. pic.twitter.com/vrYravwRUQ
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 1, 2023
The Vikings ran only 15 plays in the second half with four of those aimed at running out the clock on the last drive of the game. There wasn’t much opportunity for Cousins to put up big fantasy numbers. He did salvage his fantasy day by concentrating all traffic to his number one receiver, Justin Jefferson. Cousins connected twice with the Vikings superstar for touchdowns and it was enough to get his team their first win of the season.
.@JJettas2 LOL
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/ZMEg6KW4Qr
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 1, 2023
Notes
- Only 19 passing attempts, the fewest for Cousins since a game against the Packers in Nov 2020
- Check downs just did not work and the Panthers were prepared for that version of Kevin O’Connell‘s scheme
Missed opportunities
- Missed Jordan Addison for a long score on the opening drive after the pass was significantly under thrown.
- Touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson on the opening drive negated by a holding penalty by tight end Josh Oliver.
- Horrific late throw on third down in the red-zone that resulted in a 99-yard interception returned for a score for the Panthers – Cousins had Jefferson wide open in the back of the end zone but never looked at him
Running Back
Alexander Mattison: 17 Carries, 95 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
A determined, hard-running performance for the second week in a row from Alexander Mattison, who carried the heavy load for the Vikings in the run game. The running back carried for a season-high 95 yards as he was given the opportunity ahead of the newly minted Cam Akers. Mattison averaged 5.6 yards-per-carry and looked like a man with a mission. He was reliable on early downs and when the Vikings were backed up in the second half, he came through with a big 17-yard run to give the offense room to breathe – the back hurtled into contact and kept his legs driving on every play.
Alexander Mattison is running hard today. Key block here from…a pulling Ed Ingram. pic.twitter.com/RNw7Ffpyrw
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 1, 2023
Mattison got both carries in the red-zone in the opening drive but could not find pay dirt. He didn’t have another chance to run one in with the Vikings limited plays.
Cam Akers: 5 Carries, 40 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards
Seeing his first action for the Vikings, there was a lot to like about Akers’ limited involvement. Akers showed a bit more burst than Mattison and looked cleaner between the tackles. Akers saw the majority of his involvement (four touches) on the 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. He had runs of eight and nine yards that popped out to the eye. Akers wasn’t really given further opportunity but he certainly showed enough to eat into Mattison’s carry share on this brief showing.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Justin Jefferson: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 85 Yards, 2 TD
Jefferson was the focal point of the offense once again, finding the end-zone twice despite season-lows in catches (six) and yards (85). Still, Jefferson showed his usual excellent route running ability and created separation in the red-zone on three separate occasions – one of those was a catch for a score negated due to penalty. The Panthers defense could not cope with Jefferson’s quick feet and elusive body manoeuvres. He did well to stay free on a broken play on third down to gwt the Vikings on the board at a key time in the game.
Oooh so nice @KirkCousins8 @JJettas2
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/3VVn4DUoHs
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 1, 2023
Cousins missed Jefferson on a third down pass down the right sideline midway through the fourth quarter that could have set the Vikings up in the red-zone to ice the game. Jefferson had beaten his man out in front but the ball sailed out of bounds.
T.J. Hockenson: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 24 Yards
With nine targets going to Jefferson, there was little for the rest of the receiving corps to share. The productive tight end saw just three balls come his way, one of which was a 16-yard catch and run that setup his team near the red-zone with just 45 seconds left in the first half. Unfortunately, Cousins’ next pass was intercepted. Hockenson also had a 15-yard gain scratched due to an offensive line penalty.
K.J. Osborn: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 16 Yards
K.J Osborn was limited to just two targets on a quiet afternoon for the exciting young receiver – one of those was the pass from his quarterback on the opening drive that was returned for a defensive touchdown by the Panthers.
Jordan Addison: 1 Target
After being targeted on the opening drive of the game on a play in which the promising young rookie burned two Panthers defensive backs in double coverage only to see the pass from Cousins badly under thrown, Addison wasn’t a factor at all as the Vikings passing game failed to materialize somewhat surprisingly. It is worth noting that Addison did draw a huge 45-yard pass interference penalty on the play above setting up the Vikings in the red-zone.
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Bryce Young: 25/32, 204 Yards, 5 Sacks | 2 Carries, 10 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
There was something very concerning about Frank Reich‘s monotonous, time-sapping offensive game plan when his quarterback needed a spark. The Panthers soaked up 39 minutes of possession compared to just 21 minutes for the Vikings but failed to make an impact with yardage. Young was asked to be conservative once again, looking for throws over the middle and easy completions within the short-to-intermediate region. He also handed off the ball 29 times as the Panthers tried to establish the run without too much success.
Unfortunately, it was a costly fumble in the third quarter that swung the contest in favor of Minnesota, with Young finally coughing up the ball as his offensive line failed him once again. Sacked five times, Young was powerless to stop DJ Wonnum returning a fumble for a score after he and his offensive line allowed player of the game Harrison Smith to come through unopposed on a safety blitz to force the fumble.
Chaos. Absolute chaos.@HarriSmith22 @DWonnum
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/0UWZB1Afxj
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 1, 2023
Notes
- Only had one completion above 20 yards – a 22-yard catch and run from Thielen
- Heavy pressure from the defensive end position, failed to work around that at times
- No creativity in the play calling – mainly operated out of the pocket with limited throwing range
Missed opportunities
- Only had three passes in the red-zone but took two bad sacks on the final offensive drive when the game was still in play, down by eight
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard: 14 Carries, 41 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 12 Yards
The Panthers rotated Chuba Hubbard in as the lead back in the alongside Miles Sanders but neither found any joy on the ground, totalling just 60 yards on 27 carries. It didn’t do much for the offense, however, as the Vikings defense stepped up the intensity and stuffed the Panthers through the middle all contest. Hubbard only managed a longest rush of just seven yards.
Miles Sanders: 13 Carries, 19 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 13 Yards
Yikes! This was far from productive for Sanders against an average Vikings run defense. He mustered just 1.5 yards-per-carry and conceded more work to Hubbard than at any point so far this season. Sanders was given plenty of opportunity but was rotated in all night. The Panthers had clearly made that decision before the contest, it was not because he was struggling on the day.
Sanders did get two shots from the Minnesota 3-yard line to carry the ball in but was stuffed both times.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Adam Thielen: 1 Carry, 6 Yards | 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 76 Yards
All that was missing was a trip to the end-zone for Adam Thielen against his former employers. The veteran looked fired up and determined to make his old club pay with a couple of nifty routes and strong running through the middle. He caught seven of his eight targets and showed exactly why he is a safety blanket for his young quarterback by creating separation from the slot and showing reliable hands in tight windows. He didn’t see any targets in the end-zone, however.
Terrace Marshall Jr.: 10 Targets, 9 Receptions, 56 Yards, 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Oh, this was a pleasant surprise to see Terrace Marshall Jr., the forgotten receiver out of that elite group at LSU, come out and put in a performance that showed his ability in contested situations on the outside. With rookie Jonathan Mingo out due to a concussion, Marshall took over as the Panthers’ No. 2 receiver and didn’t look back notching career-highs in targets and catches as he looked every bit the big guy on the outside who could be relied upon to make plays.
D.J. Chark Jr.: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 28 Yards
Former Jaguars and Lions receiver D.J. Chark drew a pass interference call on the Panthers opening drive at the Vikings one-yard line as he was prevented from making a grab that would have resulted in a touchdown. He only saw two more looks after that, his best grab was an 18-yard connection with Young on the Panthers’ final drive of the game.
Laviska Shenault Jr.: 1 Carry, 7 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 12 Yards
Hayden Hurst: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Ian Thomas: 1 Target
The forgotten tight end in Carolina, Ian Thomas drew just one target but it was in the red-zone on the Panthers’ opening drive. Thomas was beaten to the ball on the inside by safety Josh Metellus.