The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon in a battle of 0-3 teams. Over the first three games, it’s been a mixed bag for the Vikings. The offense has done a good job scoring points, but it’s been a mixed bag on both sides of the football.
As we look ahead to Sunday’s game, the Vikings are taking on their former long-time wide receiver Adam Thielen who signed with the Panthers after being released this offseason.
Buy Vikings TicketsNormally, an 0-3 team doesn’t have much hope, but the Vikings have played well enough to win all three games. There is plenty of reason to be optimistic about the Vikings and these five are the biggest reasons.
1. Turnover regreession is coming
Turnovers have killed the Vikings over the last few weeks. Their nine turnovers, including three in the red zone, with just two forced turnovers are the main reason why the Vikings are sitting at 0-3. Now, turnovers aren’t a sustainable metric and the Vikings will come back down to earth and likely force a few more for the same reason. Yes, it’s a problem, but it won’t persist forever.
2. Justin Jefferson is still incredible
If Justin Jefferson had one more receiving yard against the Los Angeles Chargers, he would have become the first player ever to have 150 receiving yards in each of the first three games on a season.
Jefferson is incredible as a receiver and continues to be great in every aspect of playing the position. Even when he gets focused coverages, Jefferson and Kevin O’Connell find a way for him to get open.
3. Running game is improving
The running game was awful over the first two games. They ran the ball 25 times for a paltry 69 yards. Agaisnt the Chargers, the Vikings ran the ball on their first five plays for 31 yards and 24 total times for 130 yards across the entire game. The Vikings finally found a way to maximize the running game and it’s looking like the Vikings can sustain it.
4. Cornerbacks are around the ball
After two successful weeks in the passing game, Justin Herbert and the Chargers gashed the Vikings’ defense. While they were taken behind the woodshed, it wasn’t all bad. The Vikings secondary was in position to make plays consistently. The most notable one was Josh Palmer’s touchdown when the ball went off Akayleb Evans’ hands. The more you put yourself in positions to succeed, the more plays you are bound to make.
5. Ivan Pace Jr. hasn't let up yet
The Vikings hit a gold mine in UDFA Ivan Pace Jr. He has an overall 84.9 PFF grade with a 91.1 pass rush grade. The most impressive thing with Pace is how he’s been able to thrive in all aspects of the game, including his weakest area of coverage. With how Brian Flores uses his linebackers, Pace fits in like a glove and continues to produce.
