The Minnesota Vikings worked hard on Sunday afternoon but came up short against the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 27-20.
Throughout the game, the Vikings dealt with adversity. From fumbling on the first snap of the game to losing multiple players to injury, including Justin Jefferson, they fought valiantly but came up just short.
Buy Vikings TicketsWhere the Vikings go from here is currently a mystery. They sit at 1-4 with little chance to make the playoffs and are already behind the first-place Detroit Lions by three games. It’s frustrating because the on-field play has been really good.
Throughout the game, there were six stats that stood out.
1. The Vikings blitzed Patrick Mahomes 50% of the time
The Vikings had two different paths they could take to slow down Patrick Mahomes. They could blitz him like they did Justin Herbert or drop back and play coverage like they did against Bryce Young.
Instead, they took the middle path and blitzed Mahomes on 50 percent of plays. Overall, it worked pretty well. Danielle Hunter registered the third sack of the season on Mahomes and they overall prevented him from making the signature plays that we are so used to seeing.
2. The Vikings lost the turnover battle...again
At this point, it’s comical how often the Vikings have fumbled the football. Josh Oliver fumbling the ball away on the first play of the game was the eighth official fumble lost and 12th turnover of the season. That puts their turnover differential at -9 on the season and the fifth-straight game they have lost the turnover battle, which is a major reason why they are 1-4.
3. Justin Jefferson was a non-factor
Before the injury to his hamstring in the fourth quarter, Justin Jefferson was a relative non-factor on Sunday afternoon. With L’Jarius Snead playing opposite Jefferson for most of the game, he was held relatively in check. On just six targets, Jefferson caught three passes for 28 yards. That’s not a recipe for success or a Vikings victory and major credit to the Chiefs defense for taking him away.
4. Three and outs aren't an issue anymore
After five three-and-outs in week one, it looked like the Vikings were trending to have their third straight season with 50+ three-and-outs. That seems to have calmed down, as the Vikings had only one on Sunday and just five total in the last four games. While the drives haven’t always been fruitful, giving them a chance to score by not giving it away is massively helpful for both sides of the ball.
5. The Vikings limited Chris Jones' effectiveness
One of the biggest problems that the Vikings faced going into Sunday’s game against the Chiefs was all-world defensive lineman Chris Jones. Considering how he can take over games, that was something the Vikings needed to corral.
Overall, the Vikings did a good job keeping him in check. Jones had one sack and forced a holding penalty on Brian O’Neill. Outside of those two plays, he was held in check. The Vikings offensive line turned in a good performance.
6. Vikings were efficient on fourth down
The Vikings haven’t been the most efficient on third down this season. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Vikings had only converted 37% of their third downs. On Sunday, they converted 6-of-14 (43%) and they converted another four times on fourth down out of five attempts. Those are improved numbers from their regular season average this season and it’s a good sign moving forward.
