Full Minnesota Vikings Report Card Heading into Week 10 Bye
The Minnesota Vikings hit the bye week with a 4-5 record, and although their play has been far from consistent, fans of the team have to be pleased with the direction the team is heading under first-year coach Mike Zimmer.
That doesn't mean the report card grades up to this point are all going to please the Vikings' brass and their fans.
After a perfect 4-0 preseason and a convincing 34-6 win over the St. Louis Rams on opening day, things turned pretty surreal for the Vikings.
Star running back Adrian Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges and deactivated for Minnesota's second game before being placed on the exempt list the following week. Peterson's future with the team is cloudy, and he'll remain on the exempt list until his legal troubles play out.
If that wasn't enough, the following week Minnesota lost starting quarterback Matt Cassel for the season with a broken foot and tight end Kyle Rudolph for two months with a groin injury.
So with all of that as a backdrop, things were precariously close to caving in when the Vikings lost three straight games to begin October and fell to 2-5.
Instead of collapsing though, Zimmer and a nucleus of young stars have rallied and hit the bye week on a two-game winning streak that has the season on the uptick with two months to go.
With seven games remaining, the playoffs are a long shot for the Vikings, but with so many young players showing improvement from week to week, Minnesota has much to play for as they build toward what should be a very promising future.
Let's take a look at each positional unit on the Vikings and assign a letter grade for the first nine games and give some expectations for the rest of the season.
Quarterback
1 of 10
The Minnesota Vikings drafted quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with the last pick of the first round in May's draft with an eye on the future.
They just had no idea how quickly that future would arrive.
Veteran Matt Cassel earned the starting job in training camp and played well in the season-opening win over the Rams. He played poorly in a loss to the New England Patriots and wasn't having a great game against the New Orleans Saints before losing his season to a broken foot.
The truth is, Cassel was never more than the opening act anyway.
He's a pro's pro and has shown flashes of being a good quarterback, but he's at the point in his career where it's obvious he's never going to be a great one. With Bridgewater waiting in the wings, watching Cassel play was kind of like going to a Pearl Jam concert and sitting through the opening act. It's fine, but let's get to what we all came here for.
Bridgewater played very well in his first start, leading Minnesota to a 41-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Then reality set it.
Bridgewater missed the Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers with a sprained ankle, and Christian Ponder was awful as his replacement. With expectations probably way too high after his performance against a bad Falcons defense, Bridgewater struggled in losses to Detroit and Buffalo.
He threw five interceptions and was sacked 13 times in back-to-back losses.
The truth is Bridgewater is a very young quarterback (he doesn't turn 22 until next week), and he's 3-2 as a starter in the NFL. He's been inconsistent, but seems to get better as games go on, and he plays with a poise and calm demeanor that belies his young age.
There are certainly things that need to be worked on. His accuracy on deep balls has been poor, and he hangs on to the ball for too long. He has to learn to get through his progressions more quickly, but those are things that will come with experience.
There's a lot to like about Bridgewater so far. He doesn't get rattled and seems to thrive in pressure situations. He's made some poor throws and bad decisions, but he seems to shake them off quickly and doesn't shy away from the action after a few bad throws.
The rest of his rookie season will probably unfold the same way. There will be more mistakes, but there will also be more signs of improvement as the game slows down for him.
Bridgewater's grade at the end of December will be a heck of a lot more important than the grade we give him today. This is just a mid-term—expect the final grade to be a lot better. His play has been pretty average so far, but we're adding a plus to it for all the positive intangibles he's illustrated.
Grade: C+
Running Back
2 of 10
The Vikings' running game looks absolutely nothing like it was supposed to heading into the 2014 season.
At 29-years old and perhaps near the end of his best days, Adrian Peterson was clearly going to be the focal point of Minnesota's offense, especially if the rookie quarterback ended up at the helm.
Bridgewater has become the starting quarterback, but Peterson is nowhere to be found after going on the exempt list after being indicted on child abuse charges in Texas. Peterson may or may not be available again this season to the Vikings, depending on how quickly has legal issues can be settled, but he still may face a suspension from the league.
At any rate, in Peterson's absence the Vikings have had to rely on rookie third-round draft pick Jerick McKinnon and veteran plow-horse Matt Asiata to handle the load at running back.
Asiata was given the starting role initially after Peterson's removal, but it quickly became clear that he wasn't talented enough to be the featured back. McKinnon made a big splash by rushing for 135 yards on 18 carries against the Falcons and has taken over the starting role.
McKinnon has been quite a find for the Vikings, who had hoped the undersized kid out of Georgia Southern could develop into a nice change of pace player as they eased him into a role backing up Peterson.
Instead he's become the team's leading rusher with 446 yards—an average of 5.0 yards per carry. McKinnon has shown a nice mix of speed, power and great vision, with a nice ability to cut back against the grain that all great backs have.
At 234 pounds, Asiata has become the Vikings short yardage specialist and has two three-touchdown games on the season, with the longest one being from seven yards out. He's rushed for 277 yards on the season, but only averages 3.3 yards per carry. Asiata has been excellent in pass protection and been a good receiver as well, catching 22 passes for 199 yards and another touchdown.
Moving forward, expect McKinnon to get the lion's share of the carries, with Asiata continuing to get the ball in goal-line situations.
It's not a running game that scares people like Peterson does, but it's been much better than anybody probably thought it would be in his absence.
Overall the Vikings rank 12th in the league with an average of 119.3 rushing yards per game, a number that's a little higher than it might have been without Cordarrelle Patterson's silly numbers in the first game of the season.
This grade would be higher if the Vikings coaches would have gone to McKinnon as the featured back earlier, but instead they gave way too many carries to Asiata.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver
3 of 10
The receiving numbers for the Vikings are pretty awful. They rank 31st in the league, with an average of just 197 yards per game, which is a whopping 140 yards a game less than the Indianapolis Colts, who lead the league.
Individually, it's no better, as the Vikings top three receivers, Greg Jennings, Jarius Wright and Cordarrelle Patterson rank 37th, 81st and 85th in the league in yards gained.
There are obviously some mitigating factors in play here: a rookie quarterback, the loss of Peterson and starting tight end Kyle Rudolph and an offensive line that hasn't played very well.
None of that is to say that the Vikings receivers deserve better than their brutal numbers—they don't. They're as much to blame for their lack of production as anyone.
Jennings has been decent, but he's nowhere near a lead receiver, which is supposed to be the role he plays on this team. He's yet to have a breakout game this year and has only scored two touchdowns on the season.
Patterson continues to be the most frustrating player on the roster. He's proved to be an other-worldly runner with the ball in his hands, but hasn't shown any ability to get open and become a consistent part of the passing game.
It's a little mystifying as to why the Vikings have gone away from using him out of the backfield as a runner, or even tried to get him the ball on bubble screens or quick-hitting throws, but he's currently not a very useful player on offense. It's a shame that so much football ability is going to waste.
Jarius Wright has shown some flashes of ability, but hasn't really proven that he can be anything more than a third receiver.
That's the problem with the Vikings' wide receivers right now. They have three guys who look like No. 3 receivers. In fact, there are currently nine teams in the NFL that have at least two receivers with more receiving yards than anyone on the Vikings, including two rookies on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Patterson is obviously the player you'd hope to see a lot more from as the year moves forward. He's too fast and too athletic to be such a non-factor in the passing game.
Grade: D
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Tight End
4 of 10
This was supposed to be the breakout season for tight end Kyle Rudolph.
After signing a five-year, $36.5 million deal in July, big things were expected from the 6'6", 255-pound Rudolph, who missed half of last season after breaking his foot.
2014 has found him sidelined once again after Rudolph had to have surgery to repair a sports hernia injury during the third week of September.
Chase Ford is developing into a go to receiving option in Rudolph's absence, having caught 11 passes for 127 yards and his first career touchdown in the past two games.
Rhett Ellison is perhaps the best blocker on the Vikings roster and always comes through when thrown to as well. Ellison has nine catches for 111 yards on the season. His blocking ability elevates the final grade for this group.
Rudolph is hoping to return after the Vikings' bye week, as reported by Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. The fourth-year player out of Notre Dame has to prove that he can stay on the field to be worth the money the Vikings have invested in him.
When healthy Rudolph has proved to be a huge asset in the passing game and is a nightmare matchup for defenders in the red zone.
While Ford and Ellison are nice players, they aren't stars, and Rudolph has a chance to be one if he can keep himself on the field.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
5 of 10
The Minnesota Vikings' offensive line, which was supposed to be a strength heading into the season, has been the worst unit on the team so far this season.
All five starters returned for the third consecutive season for Minnesota, and football coaches are always talking about continuity being a crucial factor to having a successful offensive line.
It hasn't worked out that way for the Vikings though, as their line has given up 30 sacks and minus-194 yards through nine games, which both rank 31st in the NFL.
Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune detailed Minnesota's troubles up front three weeks ago, and things didn't get much better the following week, when Bridgewater was sacked five times against the Buffalo Bills. He's only been sacked three times during the last two games, so hopefully the Vikings are figuring things out up front.
Matters weren't helped when right guard Brandon Fusco, who'd turned himself into perhaps the best player on Minnesota's offensive line, was lost for the season after having pectoral surgery in September.
Left tackle Matt Kalil has taken the most heat from fans and media, and deservedly so. Pro Football Focus has had Kalil ranked near the bottom of its offensive tackle rankings for most of the season. Kalil's performance against the New England Patriots became infamous pretty quickly after he gave up two sacks, three quarterback hits and a blocked field goal and was generally overwhelmed all game long by Chandler Jones.
Vikings head Mike Zimmer admitted that Kalil was suffering from a crisis of confidence early in the season and urged him to learn how to forget bad plays, as detailed by John Shipley of the Pioneer Press.
Elsewhere on the offensive line, left guard Charlie Johnson is serviceable at best, and it's a little disappointing that rookie David Yankey hasn't pushed him for playing time as of yet.
Center John Sullivan is always solid, if not spectacular. Vlad Ducasse took over for Fusco after his injury, but he's been replaced by veteran Joe Berger, who's looked better than Ducasse in his two starts. Right tackle Phil Loadholt has had his ups and downs this season, but remains a pretty solid player.
The funny thing about offensive lines is that every fan base who's team is under .500 thinks theirs is the worst in the league. They're an easy target, and they never get any credit when things are going well.
The Vikings are starting a rookie at quarterback and lost the best running back in the league, so some of the offensive line's woes can be traced to those two things. Having said that, they aren't playing well and need to be much better for the Vikings to be successful in the second half of the season.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
6 of 10
The Vikings front office made the decision not to bring back Jared Allen after last season, knowing they had Everson Griffen waiting in the wings to take over and finally play up to his massive potential.
It's a decision they haven't regretted for a second.
Some eyebrows were raised when Minnesota gave a huge, five-year, $42.5 million deal to a player who'd never been a starter. Not only is Griffen now a starter, but he's one of the best defensive ends in football and could be on his way to the Pro Bowl.
Griffen is tied for second in the NFL with nine sacks, and was voted the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October. Griffen isn't just a sack specialist like Allen was—he ranks third in the NFL among defensive ends with 35 combined tackles, trailing only J.J. Watt and Jason Pierre-Paul.
Griffen had perhaps his biggest test last Sunday, squaring off against Redskins left tackle Trent Williams, who's made the last two Pro Bowls. Griffen destroyed him, registering six tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.
He's an emerging star on a defense that leads the NFL with 30 sacks.
The other young player on the Vikings defensive line who's becoming a star and seems to be getting better every game is defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. Floyd has been on fire the last three games, making 18 tackles and getting 2.5 sacks.
Pro Football Focus gave Floyd its game ball in Minnesota's win over the Redskins with Cole Schultz writing the following:
"Breakdown: He wasn’t living in the backfield on passing downs like his teammate on the outside, but Floyd put forth another stellar showing in what’s shaping up to be an excellent sophomore campaign. He bullied Washington’s interior with strong work in the run game and a superb day rushing the passer despite just one sack and one hurry on the stat sheet.
Signature Play: Q4, 3:27. On the opening play of Washington’s second to last drive, Floyd plows Chris Chester back into the pocket before breaking free and taking down RG3, only for the play to come off the board with an illegal contact call.
"
Linval Joseph has been everything the Vikings hoped he'd be when they signed him to a big free-agent deal this offseason. Joseph has been a bull against the run, and he's racked up 26 tackles and 2.5 sacks while doing a great job of tying up multiple blockers on many plays.
Right end Brian Robison is having a pretty quiet year on the stat sheet, with 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks, but he's a constant threat in the pass rush, and his play has been picking up as of late.
Tom Johnson has been an excellent rotation player in the middle for the Vikings, with 13 tackles and a career-high 5.5 sacks.
Look for Minnesota's defensive line to continue to get better in Mike Zimmer's aggressive scheme, and for Griffen and Floyd to continue to star.
Minnesota is giving up 112.8 yards a game rushing, which ranks just 15th in the league and is the only number that keeps the defensive line from getting grade in the "A" range.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
7 of 10
The top three rated linebackers heading into the 2014 NFL Draft were Khalil Mack, Anthony Barr and C.J. Mosley, with all three players rated as consensus top-twenty picks.
The Vikings loved Barr and selected him with the ninth-overall choice and haven't regretted it for a second.
Barr has been a force of nature for Minnesota, making plays all over the field for a vastly improved defense. Barr's 58 tackles are second on the team and his 47 solo tackles lead. He has four sacks, three passes defensed, a forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and a dramatic touchdown that won a game in overtime.
Mosley and Mack have both been very good as well, with Mosley ranking third in the NFL with 85 tackles, and Mack ranks first in Pro Football Focus' Rookie of the Year race through eight weeks.
At this point though, the Vikings probably wouldn't even hesitate in taking Barr first if all three were available. Barr is bigger and quicker than either of the other two (his 6.82 mark in the three-cone drill at the combine was the best among all linebackers), and his ceiling has to considered higher.
The only concern scouts had for Barr coming into the league is that he'd basically only played two years of linebacker in his life. That's proved to be meaningless though, as Barr's football instincts are impressive and his willingness to attack from a variety of angles is making him a nightmare for offensive coordinators to plan for.
The sky is the limit for Barr, and his skill set could help him become one of the best linebackers the Vikings have ever had.
Chad Greenway, the team's perennial leader in tackles, missed three games with broken ribs, but has played very well the last two weeks, recording 17 tackles and sack.
Jasper Brinkley has been serviceable in the middle, but makes very few splash plays and is only on the field for about half the time as he leaves during nickel packages.
Reserve Gerald Hodges was playing very well before a sore hamstring forced him to miss two games. He returned to the active lineup last week. Hodges, like Barr, brings speed to the Vikings' linebacker corps, a trait that's been missing for far too long on Minnesota's defense.
Moving forward, look for Barr to get better and better and be in the hunt for Rookie of the Year, look for Greenway to continue to play well, and look for Hodges to contribute more as his hamstring heals up.
Grade: B
Secondary
8 of 10
Much like offensive lines, nearly every NFL fan base thinks their defensive secondary is among the worst in the league.
Vikings fans who thought that over the last five seasons or so were absolutely right, but not anymore.
Minnesota is only giving up 214 passing yards a game, which ranks as the fourth best number in the NFL, but that number can be deceiving for a variety of reasons. In the Vikings case, both Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady stopped throwing when the games became routes with plenty of time left.
A more reasonable defensive statistic to look at is passer rating against, and the Vikings' is 92.7, which ranks 16th in the league and sounds about right.
The Vikings, other than Josh Robinson, lack high-end speed in the secondary and are still vulnerable against elite receivers.
An area where the Vikings defensive backs don't have to apologize is against the run, where Minnesota boasts an elite group of strong, sure tacklers, led by safety Harrison Smith.
Smith is the best player in the Vikings secondary and perhaps their entire defense. He's a brute against the run and is very good at recognizing down and distance and closing on ball-carriers before they can pick up first-down yardage. He also leads the team with three interceptions, and his six passes defensed rank second.
Xavier Rhodes continues to improve at cornerback, and his eight passes defensed lead the team. There is still plenty of room for improvement on his ball skills, as he's in good position only to give up catches far too many times. He's still looking for his first career interception.
Captain Munneryln has been an upgrade at corner, especially in the slot role. He's a tough player and has two interceptions, but he's not the most athletic guy in the world and can be beat in one-on-one matchups.
Cornerback Josh Robinson is probably the Vikings' most-improved player, as he's become a very good player in pass defense and uses his elite speed to become a very good cover guy. He has four passes defensed and, like Munneryln, has two interceptions.
Chris Phillips of Pro Football Focus recently wrote about Robinson's vast improvement over last season.
In their defense, the Vikings have faced a staggering array of quarterback talent in Brady, Brees, Ryan, Rodgers and Stafford, and have hung in their pretty well, especially compared to years past.
Look for Smith to continue to shine and be a game-changing player. The eight interceptions are a decent number, but the hope is that the Vikings' defensive backs can make more plays on the ball as the season wears on.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
9 of 10
Kicker Blair Walsh continues to be phenomenal weapon for the Vikings, both as a scoring threat with seemingly unlimited range and as a kicker who continually gives the Vikings' defense long fields to play on.
Walsh is 16-of-19 on field goal attempts on the season and gives Zimmer the luxury of thinking he can attempt field goals once his team is inside 60 yards.
The Vikings, even though they've moved away from the kicker-friendly dome, still rank fourth in the league with a 75 percent touchback ratio on kickoffs.
Punter Jeff Locke has been a disappointment in his second season. His 44.3 average ranks just 24th in the league and his 11 punts inside the 20 yard line also rank 24th.
Minnesota's return teams have both taken big steps backwards this season. The kickoff return team, which led the NFL in yards last season, is just 18th this year, with an average of 23.4 yards per return. The punt return team also led the league last year, with a 15.2 average and has dropped to 16th, averaging just 8.5 yards per return.
Cordarrelle Patterson has battled a nagging hip injury for much of the season and hasn't looked quite as explosive as last season. Marcus Sherels probably performed a little bit over his head last year, but remains a steady option on punt returns, although he's made too many mistakes this year on balls inside his own 10-yard line.
Overall, the coverage units have been fine, but Mike Priefer's special teams units are committing far too many penalties. Rookies Jabari Price and Antone Exum have been the worst offenders and have to learn to use more control on special teams.
Look for Walsh to continue to excel, but things could get really interesting at home if the weather turns brutal in December. Locke has to step up his game, as he's been hurting the Vikings in the battle for field position.
Walsh would get an A grade on his own, but the grade is brought down by the rest of the special teams units.
Grade: C+
Coaching
10 of 10
First-year head coach Mike Zimmer has faced more than a season's worth of distractions in his first nine games at the helm of the Vikings, and he's performed brilliantly so far.
Zimmer was hired for his defensive pedigree, and he's turned Minnesota's defense from a huge liability to the strength of the team. He uses an attacking defensive scheme that couldn't be further from the Tampa 2 defense employed by the previous regime.
Zimmer has a fiery personality and is a straight-shooter, which leads to his players being more accountable than they've had to be in the past in Minnesota.
It's easy to see why Zimmer has spent most of his career as one of the most respected coordinators in the league, and it's great to see him finally get a head coaching job. He didn't inherit a great football team, but he's got them improving quickly and the future looks bright in Minnesota.
Norv Turner's work as the offensive coordinator has been a little less satisfying for Vikings fans. Like the offensive line and secondary, when your team is losing, the offensive coordinator is always under fire. That's just how it works.
Like Zimmer on the defensive side of the ball, Turner is thought of as an offensive guru. In the end, any coach is only as good as his players, but there are certainly some things Turner has done that have been puzzling.
Cordarrelle Patterson excelled as a runner last season and picked up almost all of his receiving yards on quick-hitters. After getting the job in Minnesota, Turner instantly said he had 10 plays specifically set up for Patterson's talents, according to Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.
Patterson was phenomenal in the Vikings season-opening win over the Rams, rushing for 102 yards on just three carries, including an electrifying 67-yard touchdown run. He's had four carries since then. Why?
There's been much made of Patterson's inability to get off the line against press coverage, and in today's world of detailed advance scouting, most teams have probably schemed against Patterson getting bubble screens, but Turner simply has to find a way to get the ball in the hands of his most talented player. That's his job.
Zimmer has been a great hire for the Vikings. The players love him, but he's certainly not a "player's coach," who doesn't make players completely accountable.
Expect improvement over the rest of the season—both from the coaching staff and from their players.
Grade: B-
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