The Minnesota Vikings lost a game to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday by six points. Despite going just 1-for-6 in the red zone and sloppy play from quarterback Carson Wentz, they were in the game. It could have been better had Kevin O’Connell coached differently.
Kevin O’Connell abandoned the running game for the Minnesota Vikings in the red zone on Sunday, and it cost them touchdowns.
Despite being within the 20-yard line on six different occasions, the Vikings came up with just a single touchdown.
The Vikings Aren’t Really Running the Ball in Appropriate Situations
What’s notable is that the drive in which they scored, head coach Kevin O’Connell did something differently.
After three fruitless trips for the red zone, in which Will Reichard bailed out the offense with field goals, O’Connell went with a run-dominant strategy. Jordan Mason was brought in to work in tandem with Aaron Jones. While the latter is currently on injured reserve, Mason is the bruiser who can move a pile and run between the tackles.
On a third-quarter drive, the lone touchdown of the afternoon was scored. Zavier Scott ran the ball twice, and Mason scored on a 1-yard direct snap. Three of the four plays called in the red zone on that drive were runs, and the lone pass went for only nine yards.
It was a deviation from what O’Connell had done all afternoon to that point. It forced the Eagles to focus on a different phase of Minnesota’s offense, and it took the ball out of Carson Wentz’s hands. Not shockingly, it resulted in a positive outcome.
If the Vikings want to compete Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers and going forward the rest of the way, they’ll need to be less predictable. The reality is that Kevin O’Connell doesn’t have the quarterback talent he did a year ago. To continue putting the ball in the hands of Wentz, or J.J. McCarthy for that matter, is asking a lot when alternatives are present.
Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones are both capable runners. Mason was a shrewd offseason acquisition, and he has proven to be arguably the better back of the two, even when both are healthy. Start to use him and switch up the looks when you absolutely need to put the ball in the end zone.
