The Minnesota Vikings entered Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans with a 7-2 record. Still, several questions must have kept Kevin O’Connell up at night.
Many thought Sam Darnold was morphing into Nick Mullens after he tossed three interceptions in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Others wondered how the Vikings could keep him upright when Ed Ingram was constantly on his back. Jordan Addison was one more “FREE 3” post away from taking the next flight out. Working T.J. Hockenson into the offense was a champagne problem as the star tight end worked his way back from a knee injury.
But while O’Connell was busy working on the front of “the car” that Darnold would drive the Vikings to the Super Bowl, there was a problem with the gas line. While he gave the passing game most of his attention, the running game has become a growing problem. As a result, the support system the Vikings have touted throughout the season could break down earlier than expected.
Minnesota’s ground-game revolution has quietly been one of the season’s biggest storylines. In the first two years of the O’Connell era, the Vikings could get the occasional big play out of the running game with Dalvin Cook but lacked efficiency under Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler.
Signing Aaron Jones brought explosiveness and efficiency to Minnesota’s backfield, but it likely wasn’t a long-term solution. Jones is 30, and the Vikings would need someone else to stand up and share the load. However, that hasn’t happened.
The Vikings had Chandler slated to be 1B to Jones’ 1A, but his execution issues have persisted this season. After posting a 45.1% success rate a year ago, Chandler’s efficiency has dropped to 37.5% this season.
That number would rank 45th out of 50 qualifiers if Chandler had an adequate number of carries. Still, it would be better than Akers, whom the Vikings acquired via trade for the second-straight season after spending the beginning of the year with the Houston Texans.
While Akers’ 44.8% success rate with the Vikings is lower than the 30% clip he posted with the Texans, it’s still lower than what Mattison posted in 2023 (45%) and 2024 (37.1%).
Minnesota’s lack of success from the backups has led them to lean on Jones. That was part of the plan when they signed Jones to a one-year, $7 million deal last spring. The early returns were great as the Vikings soared to a 5-0 start. However, he has an injury history, and the touches added up. Therefore, they may have used him more than expected while he battled hamstring and rib ailments.
The offensive line also has had its share of problems and must help the running game.
Losing Christian Darrisaw has hampered Minnesota’s pass protection and running game. According to Pro Football Focus, Darrisaw ranks 12th among offensive tackles in run-blocking grade this season. The Vikings traded for Cam Robinson to replace Darrisaw, and he ranks 53rd among tackles since he was acquired three weeks ago.
While Robinson has been average, the Vikings don’t have a better solution. The same goes for center Garrett Bradbury, who’s a liability in pass protection but ranks fifth among qualifying centers in run-blocking grade.
It leads Vikings fans to their favorite question – Can he play guard? – but it adds an interesting caveat: Can he also run block?
Blake Brandel has been serviceable in the running game in his first season as a starter, grading 48th out of 81 qualifiers at guard. But the Vikings have an even bigger hole at right guard, where Ingram ranks 60th on the same list.
Ingram’s struggles in pass protection have been well-documented. When Dalton Risner took his spot during warmups on Sunday, Vikings fans rejoiced as if they found Ingram’s size 37 feet underneath a house on the Yellow Brick Road.
But while benching Ingram was a long overdue move, Risner isn’t as big of an upgrade in the running game. Risner has posted a pass-blocking grade over 67 in each of his first five seasons in the league but hasn’t posted a run-blocking grade over 60 since 2021. Even on Sunday, Risner didn’t help Minnesota’s running game, ranking 72nd out of 80 qualifying offensive linemen in Week 11.
It almost leaves O’Connell to choose between keeping Darnold upright or churning out consistent gains on the ground. With Darnold currently holding the fifth-longest average time to throw at 3.11 seconds, the decision is almost made for him, choosing an aerial attack over the ground game.
It’s a formula that has worked for the Vikings, who are now 8-2 on the season after Sunday’s win. But it also comes with an interesting caveat when Minnesota needs to run the ball.
On Sunday, they did enough to beat the 2-8 Titans. However, will that be good enough when facing stiffer competition? The Vikings will be fortunate to play most of their December games indoors. Still, the lack of a run game could backfire in the playoffs, especially if they can’t catch the Detroit Lions to win the NFC North.
It’s a growing concern for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, and a hidden problem could strand their championship hopes.