The Minnesota Vikings improved to 4-0 after defeating the Miami Dolphins 15-10 with the same successful but frustrating formula: top defense and special teams and just enough offense. It came against one of the worst teams in the league, so the fact that the win wasn’t more decisive was disappointing, especially at home. But the Vikings still accomplished a key weekly goal as Justin Jefferson recovers from his ankle injury.
The Vikings offense didn’t really threaten to score a touchdown until the end of the game, when TJ Hockenson opted to go down on his own at the 2 yard line to give the Vikings a layup and secure the win instead of scoring a touchdown and giving the Dolphins a 1% chance of a comeback victory. That fits with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s newfound philosophy of focusing on doing what it takes to get the win and not worrying about the stats.
The Vikings offense had its best outing in terms of total yards (336) and first downs (20), but went 0-3 in the red zone with Hockenson’s aforementioned slide to allow the Vikings offense to run out the clock in building the victory. But they also didn’t turn the ball over, allowing the Vikings to win the turnover battle that 90% of the time leads to Vikings victory in the KOC era. And so it was.
TJ Hockenson. Hockenson had the equivalent of a post-knee-injury breakout game. He had 13 receptions (tied a career high) on 13 targets for 119 yards and looked more dialed in and dynamic than he has in years. A rejuvenated Hockenson is the perfect underneath complement to Addison and Jefferson on the field and a way for Kyler Murray and the Vikings’ offense to win when opposing defenses focus on moving deeper down the field.
Kyler Murray. He didn’t stand out by any means, and sacks continued to be a problem, but he had his most productive outing as a passer with the Vikings while avoiding turnovers or turnover-worthy plays. He adapted to the Dolphins playing a lot of two-high safety coverage (which they haven’t done this season) to eliminate deeper strikes on Jordan Addison by targeting Hockenson underneath. He finished 27/37 (73%) for 247 yards and a 90.7 passer rating. His adjusted completion percentage (accuracy) is 90.6% according to PFF, which is elite. It appeared that no receivers were open downfield on several of Murray’s dropbacks, which led to four throwaways.
Dallas Turner. He led the charge against Malik Willis, racking up 2 sacks on 5 pressures. He also forced the lone turnover of the game, which was recovered by Blake Cashman, and also had a tackle-for-loss on the run defense.
Reichard. Perfect again, going 5-5 on field goal attempts and accounting for all Vikings points. He has now hit 31 consecutive field goals without a miss, the longest active streak in the league. He also landed several kickoffs in the landing zone in a way that caused the Dolphins to stop the return on two occasions.
Myles’ price. He had 121 yards on five kick/punt returns, averaging 35 yards per kickoff return and 17 per punt return, both good numbers.
Aaron Jones. He had 94 yards on 20 carries (4.7 ypc) which helped move the chains on multiple occasions. He also had three explosive (10+ yards) carries.
Juan Jennings. He played all but four snaps on offense and had one reception for eight yards. His blocking wasn’t good either.
Harrison Smith. His effort in tackling the Dolphins’ two biggest plays (one negated by a penalty) left a lot to be desired.
Johnny Hecker. He shanked a few punts later in the game that gave the Dolphins better starting field position.
The Vikings’ ability to play championship football consistently on defense and special teams through the first four games.
The Vikings’ ability to win championships without offense shows significant improvement.
The Vikings won games over statistics.
The increasing penalties of the Vikings. After committing just 3 penalties in each of their first two games, the Vikings have committed 20 penalties in their last two games.
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