Vikings Have Finally Fixed One Longstanding Problem

It’s not just the kicking game, though the Minnesota Vikings have fixed that aspect of football quite wonderfully.

Vikings Have Finally Fixed One Longstanding Problem

It’s the commitment to running the football — even when passing is more efficient.

For two years — 34 regular season games and one playoff contest — the Vikings, under head coach Kevin O’Connell, would rest on laurels and pass, pass, and pass some more when in doubt on Sundays. That’s entertaining and more than fine in a video game, for example, but generally speaking, teams that throw the football all the time rarely travel deep in the postseason tournament.

So, fast forward to 2024, O’Connell’s third year in the saddle, and the young skipper finally got the memo about running the rock. His team isn’t terribly efficient at the craft and is not nibbling at one of the league’s best, but the Vikings have not abandoned the ground game — which they did in 2022 and 2023.

The proof is in the pudding by the numbers. In 2022 and 2023, O’Connell would dial up passing plays like nobody’s business, a bit unsurprising for a former quarterback. This season, though, O’Connell has appeared to realize that rushing the ball at a Top 10 clip keeps defenses honest.

What changed? Well, two things:

1. Aaron Jones is on the roster, and Alexander Mattison is not. Jones is wickedly more productive than Mattison; the Las Vegas Raiders can attest. Jones churns out yards and has better vision than the former Viking.
2. O’Connell doesn’t give up on the rushing attack during a given game. Again, Minnesota is not overly dazzling at running the ball, but it continues to give the ball to Jones and his counterpart, Cam Akers.

Here’s the Vikings’ ground game scene per DVOA from the last three seasons:

If you’ve ever watched the 1991 film Frank Oz’s What About Bob? — this is “baby steps.” Minnesota certainly isn’t gouging opponents with rushing play calls, but it’s no longer a joke, as 2023 seemed when Mattison owned the RB1 title.

O’Connell said about the win over the Titans, “We’ve won eight of them. We’ve got the right mindset. But I do believe, you know, hopefully our best football is ahead of us, because we’re working towards that while also winning games. Proud of that, proud of our group, proud of our staff — but it’s time to go back to work.”

And the fancy 8-2 record has much to do with playcalling diversity. The Vikings are no longer a pass-always enterprise.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.