Cardinals vs. Vikings
Cardinals
Another week, the same old story. Arizona turned in another sub-par on the offensive side of the ball en route to a league-leading fifth loss through six weeks. Josh Rosen continues to lead a mediocre (being gracious here) offense that was again dominated in time of possession. Mike McCoy’s usage of star running back David Johnson is…remarkable. Questions and doubts are mounting.
The passing attack is underwhelming, but at least in a predictable way.
Finding some semblance of upside in Rosen’s lackluster start against Minnesota, he is showing consistency with each passing week. Christian Kirk delivered on heightening expectations with six catches on seven targets for 77 yards. Larry Fitzgerald and Ricky Seals-Jones both hauled in five receptions on six targets, Seals-Jones highlighting with a 40-yard gain. This marks the first start that Rosen has not thrown a touchdown, but little was expected against this Minnesota defense.
David Johnson is hanging on by a thread.
It’s nothing new that Mike McCoy utilized David Johnson in all the wrong ways.The offensive line has struggled to create space all year long and McCoy is doing nothing to set up his best weapon in the open field. Johnson is at least a check down options for Rosen, finishing with five targets on the day. Even with that silver lining, DJ totaled just 70 yards on 20 touches. He salvaged value with another touchdown on the ground, but limited opportunity and his second lost fumble capped his ceiling. The snaps will still be there for Johnson moving forward, he (mostly because of McCoy and a poor line) simply is underwhelming through six weeks.
The defense showed up in a bigger way than expected.
Very few teams started this defense over the weekend. The defense has produced turnovers and sacks at a decent rate, but the amount of yardage allowed each week lowers their level of production. A handful of highlight plays in Minnesota attributed to surprising value against an offense that has tormented opposing defenses (minus the Bills game). Corey Peters’ two sacks led the team on its way to four, Tre Boston recorded his third interception of the season, and Buddha Baker scored on a 36-yard fumble return. An offense that cannot keep the field is hurting this unit’s value each week, but there has been enough production to warrant some attention despite a 1-5 record.
-Michael Collins
Vikings
Well, that was closer than it should have been. The Vikings have the skills to pay the bills, but they can’t get out of their own way and make it hard for themselves to win games. We will get into that in a minute, but nevertheless, the Vikings improved to 3-2-1 on the year as they beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-17. Next week, the Vikings head on the road to face the New York Jets. Let’s get into what we saw for this week.
Captain Kirk is Captain of the Fumble
Another week, another huge fumble for Kirk Cousins. This one, fortunately, didn’t turn out to cost the Vikings the game, but it did make it closer than it needed to be. With 4:13 left in the second quarter, Cousins put the ball on the deck and Budda Baker returned it 36 yards for a touchdown that tied the game up at 10-10. This is getting a little ridiculous, and HC Mike Zimmer said as much in his postgame press conference. Something has got to give as Kirk Cousins must literally eat heavily buttered movie popcorn on the sidelines between drives. The Vikings would no doubt have a better record if Cousins could keep his turnovers under control, and while it isn’t all his fault as some hits have been blind side hits, he has got to feel the pressure, step up, and be okay with throwing the ball away. He also gave the ball away once through the air, but did enough with a touchdown as well to earn the victory.
Life on the Ground
Man have Vikings fans and coaches been waiting for a game like this from the backfield. With Dalvin Cook being scratched, it was looking like another air attack game. Well this was anything but that as the running game shined. Latavius Murray ended up churning out 155 yards and a touchdown in this one. This could be the spark that allows the Vikings to let Cook rest and get fully healthy instead of the constant game time decision. They honestly don’t need him at less than full health. Next week, I don’t expect the Vikes to be as ground reliant as they were today as they matchup with the Jets, but still it was a great sign for us to all see what the ceiling of this running game is.
Sipping the Kool-Aid
Guess what? Yes, I must talk about him. Adam Thielen seems like a lock for 8-10 catches for 100 yards and a possible touchdown any given week. With his stat line of 11/123/1, Thielen put up his sixth straight 100 yard receiving game, now two away from Calvin Johnson’s all time record. He may just be the overall WR1 until further notice, and I envy every single one of you that got him in the third round. Keep him as a lock-it and forget-it starter every week and enjoy this all season. If not for the turnovers by his QB, it could have been bigger, but he was making spectacular catches, including a diving sideline catch. He really can do it all: crisp route-running, hands for days, and athleticism. Man, I wish he was on my team.
-Matt Dean
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