Vikings Get The W

The Vikings’ 2023 season is still alive. For now. 

In a true must-win game between winless teams on Sunday, the Vikings found themselves trailing 10-0 against the Panthers early in the second quarter. A devastating 0-4 start was staring them in the eyes.

Then they snapped out of it. 

Kirk Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for a short touchdown to get the Vikings back in the ballgame in the second quarter. In the decisive third period, Harrison Smith sacked Bryce Young, who lost a fumble that was returned for a score by D.J. Wonnum to give Minnesota its first lead. Another Cousins-to-Jefferson TD on the final play of the quarter put the Vikings up 21-13 — which wound up being the final score.

Brian Flores’ defense was the story of the day. That unit flustered Young all game long, sacking him five times and holding the Panthers to 232 net yards of offense. Smith had three of those sacks, including the game-winner on a late fourth down in the red zone. That’s a career-high in a game for the 34-year-old safety, who has never had more than three sacks in an entire season before. Smith also led the Vikings with 14 total tackles on Sunday.

Wonnum had a sack to go along with his scoop and score, but the Vikings’ most impactful pass rusher was Marcus Davenport, who was basically making his season debut after playing just four snaps in the first three games due to an ankle injury. Davenport was a difference-maker in this game, blowing up plays with his explosiveness and power. He set up Wonnum’s sack, then picked up one of his own later in the second half. Davenport notably had just 0.5 sacks last season with the Saints.

The Vikings’ offense made things more difficult than they needed to be against a talent-deficient Panthers team. The game opened with a 99-yard pick-six that was the result of a poor decision from Kirk Cousins. Later in the first half, Ed Ingram was beaten by Yetur Gross-Matos, who hit Cousins arm as he threw the ball — resulting in an easy interception. Those two turnovers brought the Vikings’ season total to 11 in four games.

Kevin O’Connell’s offense also continued to struggle on third down, converting just one of eight tries. But although the Vikings had just 265 yards, they were able to run the ball effectively all game, with Alexander Mattison and Cam Akers combining for 135 rushing yards on 22 carries (6.1 YPC). Cousins only attempted 19 passes, completing 12 of them for 139 yards, two scores, and two picks. Jefferson finished with a 6-85-2 line and one “too small” celebration.

It may not have been pretty, but what matters is the Vikings got the job done. At 1-3, they have an opportunity to turn their season around.

Next up, though, is a home game against Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. After that, the Vikings will face the still-winless Bears, host the 49ers, and travel to Lambeau Field to play the Packers. If they just win the division games, they’d be 3-5 at the end of October with a chance to start rolling as the schedule softens. The best-case scenario is they find a way to pull off a home upset against each the Chiefs or 49ers and get to 4-4.