With the season pretty much over, courtesy of last week’s beatdown from the Seattle Seahawks, the Minnesota Vikings could have just rolled over and died for a better draft pick. Instead, the team played their (arguably) most impressive game of the season against a floundering Washington Commanders team, winning by a score of 31-0. It was a blowout victory that felt cathartic for a team that had struggled so greatly over the last few weeks. Here are just a few of the many ways the Vikings improved in this game that pushed the team to victory.
A Simplified Offense
Kevin O’Connell has been under fire for the last few weeks about dialing back the complexity of the offense for his young quarterbacks, and it seems that he’s finally making some changes. This game saw J.J. McCarthy playing as more of a point guard than a playmaker as he distributed the ball with a decisiveness that we hadn’t seen in weeks past. McCarthy made more completions to his first read, and the team as a whole executed at a higher level as a result. The run game was also crucial, with both Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason having standout performances. As the game progressed, McCarthy got more comfortable and was able to air the ball out a bit more, but the foundation laid in those first few simple drives was crucial. McCarthy’s future still hangs in the balance of his performance during these last four games, but his growth and the team’s offensive performance this week were encouraging, to say the least.
Turnover Dominance
The Vikings’ defense was on fire from the start of this game. On the Commanders’ first offensive drive, Josh Metellus broke up a pass to Deebo Samuel on a fourth down, and it only got better from there. Several huge turnovers came in the form of an Andrew Van Ginkel interception, a Javon Hargrave forced fumble, and a Harrison Smith interception. Even with the defense’s stellar performance, the offense also deserves credit for holding onto the ball. J.J. McCarthy didn’t give the ball away for the first time in his young career, and the fact that the Vikings could control the time of possession and also perform at a high level on defense put them in great positions all game.
Steady Leadership
In the face of adversity, the team’s leaders showed up to rally the squad for this performance. Kevin O’Connell preached the team making their “16-year-old selves” proud, and the message seems to have resonated based on the result. Brian Flores’ defense has been aggressive all year, and it paid off in a major way today with the forced turnovers and their ability to limit Jayden Daniels’ effectiveness through the air. The team’s captains were also crucial, as J.J. McCarthy was level-headed and Justin Jefferson, despite his low statistical outing, was encouraging the whole way. This Vikings’ season has been a disappointment overall, but games like this one against the Commanders are crucial for allowing the team to reset for next season. Question marks about McCarthy’s future and the team’s success will continue to swirl around in the offseason, but for at least one week, there will be fewer of them as we saw him and the rest of the team take a huge step against the Commanders.
