Who will save the Minnesota Vikings’ offense?
Heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Detroit Lions, the Minnesota Vikings couldn’t have been more excited about their offense.
They ranked No. 2 in the NFL in total yards after three weeks and sported two receivers in the top five and the second most productive running back. But after Dalvin Cook suffered a season-ending injury and backup quarterback Case Keenum struggled, the Vikings’ offense appears much more shaky.
Since Cook was the team’s leader in yards from scrimmage, replacing him is nearly impossible. Few running backs in the NFL have his big-play capability and versatility. That doesn’t mean the Vikings’ offense has to sink to the bottom half of the league, where they have lived since Mike Zimmer took over in 2014, but it does mean the offense will need a hero.
Who could step up and save the offense? Let’s have a look…
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/10/will-save-minnesota-vikings-offense/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
It’s not about a single person saving the offense. It’s about the collective talent of the
offense being strong enough that it doesn’t need one person to save it. We’ve struggled against 2 of the top 5
scoring defenses in the league with Keenum, but most offenses do. We’ve currently got the #6 ranked offense in
terms of yards and #19 ranked offense in terms of points. We aren’t in a dire situation on
offense. We are dropping from a high flying
offense to perhaps where everyone expected us to be before the season started. The thing we need most is to get Bradford
back (or if this Bradford thing drags on forever, Bridgewater). We are a passing offense that just needs a
functional ground game. We can compensate
for Cooks explosive plays with more plays or explosive passing plays against
most defenses.
Even without Cook, the Vikings have the pieces to sustain a top 15 offense. I was dubious if that could happen prior to the start of the season... but this offensive line is a MAJOR improvement over last year's group.
Bottom line, the Vikings need Bradford or Teddy to get healthy and lead this offense. These two are the X-Factor...
Keenum surprised a bunch of people with his play against Tampa Bay, but that isn't going to happen every week. He's a backup for a reason. We're still a playoff team with Bradford (and potentially Teddy if he is ready to roll out of the gate)... We're not a playoff team with Keenum.
Agree on all accounts. I posted last week about how all the ingredients for a top performing offense were there. Now you take the dangerous back out of the formula and all other areas take a hit too. The passing game gets more attention from the defense, and without legitimate balance, it's harder on the offensive line as well. We need a QB who is on point to make it all work again. It won't be what it was with Cook, but I agree that this can be a top 15 offense with either Sam or Teddy.
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