The Minnesota Vikings’ five-game winning streak might be over but their 6-4 record still puts them 2.5 games up on the four teams behind them for the seventh and final seed in the NFC playoff race.
The Vikings have six games remaining, beginning with Monday night’s meeting against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Here are four Thanksgiving Week thoughts as we await the kickoff.
Vikings, Justin Jefferson are making the right call
It appears that Pro Bowl wide receiver Jefferson will miss his seventh consecutive game on Monday night because of a right hamstring injury suffered in Week 5 against Kansas City.
Jefferson has made it clear the final say on when he returns belongs to him, and he did so again Tuesday on social media when he addressed fantasy football participants who aren’t pleased with the length of his absence.
“My health is wayyyy more important than you winning your fantasy games,” Jefferson wrote on X. “It doesn’t matter how many times y’all flood my dms talking about me selling your team. I DONT CARE.”
If Jefferson doesn’t play against the Bears, it will give him two more weeks of rest from game action because the Vikings’ bye week follows. That would mean Jefferson would return on Dec. 10 against Las Vegas.
If you’re looking for me to rip Jefferson, you are going to be disappointed. The Vikings are 5-1 without him and Jefferson can’t be blamed for taking care of himself. He didn’t sign a contract extension this offseason, although he was eligible for one, and will be entering the final season of his rookie deal in 2024.
Jefferson is looking at an enormous payday on his next contract and there’s no reason to jeopardize that.
Will Ty Chandler become the No. 1 running back?
The Vikings had a season-high 175 yards rushing in the loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday and Alexander Mattison had 81 of those yards on 18 carries.
But the veteran running back also had a key turnover in the third quarter when his fumble ended a drive that had reached the Broncos’ 34-yard line with Minnesota leading, 17-9. A Vikings touchdown likely would have enabled them to leave Denver with a victory.
Mattison, despite the fumble, is a more complete player than running back Ty Chandler but Chandler has proven to be a more explosive runner. Chandler rushed for 73 yards on 10 carries, including a 31-yard gain on a fake punt in the fourth quarter.
Chandler also caught four passes for 37 yards on Sunday; Mattison had one reception for negative 1 yard.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has stuck with Mattison, but getting Chandler on the field more makes too much sense for it not to happen. It wouldn’t be that difficult to use Chandler on the early downs and then bring in Mattison on third down to provide pass protection.
Josh Dobbs needs to focus on ball security
Josh Dobbs struggled in the second half Sunday after a strong opening two quarters, but we need to remember it was only his second start and third appearance with the Vikings since being acquired at the trade deadline.
Plus, there is a reason he has been a backup for much of his NFL career. The one thing Dobbs needs to do is focus on not turning over the football. That was a major issue for the Vikings during their 1-4 start with Kirk Cousins and Dobbs had an interception and fumble (albeit on an illegal hit by Denver’s Kareem Jackson) on Sunday.
Dobbs has fumbled four times (three lost) and has four turnovers in his three games with the Vikings. In eight starts with the Arizona Cardinals before being traded to Minnesota, Dobbs threw five interceptions and lost four of his eight fumbles.
That can’t continue. O’Connell is sure to stress ball security in practice this week and that will start with Dobbs. A failure to improve in this area might mean we see Nick Mullens before the regular season is finished.
Keeping Brian Flores must be a focus this offseason
It’s unknown how much the Vikings are paying defensive coordinator Brian Flores this season, but whatever it is it’s not enough. Flores has taking one of the NFL’s worst defenses under Ed Donatell and made it one of the strengths of this team.
This type of success is sure to get him interviews for NFL head coaching jobs, although his ongoing lawsuit against the league and several teams could present a roadblock. Nonetheless, Flores’ ability to turn around the Vikings’ defense shouldn’t be ignored.
Vikings ownership has never been afraid to write big checks and there is no salary cap when it comes to assistant coaches. So how much would the Vikings be willing to pay Flores, if a coaching opportunity that he likes doesn’t come his way?
The Miami Dolphins set the market last offseason when they reportedly agreed to pay defensive coordinator Vic Fangio $4.5 million per season on a three-year contract. It’s an interesting situation because the Vikings likely would have to give O’Connell a contract extension and raise, if they went that high on Flores.
But raises for O’Connell and Flores would be worth it if it kept everyone happy and the offensive-and-defensive combination intact for another season.
