Vikings Week 15 loss: Questions at quarterback, solution elsewhere

The Vikings Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was heartbreaking for a team that would have almost assured itself a playoff spot with a win. A lot of people are going to spend the week pointing fingers at Kevin O’Connell for the fourth down tush-push. Nick Mullens had already failed to get the full yard the play prior but had succeeded in closing the gap.

Another inch is all the Vikings needed, but center Garrett Bradbury got blown up at the snap resulting in disaster. Sure, Mullens doesn’t squat what Jalen Hurts does, but when a center gets blown up like that, any play is doomed from the start. Ultimately, that one play call is not what cost Minnesota the game.

If anything, the two horrendous interceptions by Mullens in the first half can be considered the reason for Minnesota’s downfall. Both turnovers came on drives where the Vikings had made it into short field goal range, already leading. The first was on a bad read and an even worse throw without any pressure forcing the ball out. The latter will go down in Minnesota Vikings infamy for managing to throw an interception to a seated defensive tackle.

Mullens miraculously avoided another Red Zone turnover on his second touchdown pass to Jordan Addison, where he threw into coverage across his body. There were signs of promise with Mullens at the helm for this offense. However, those costly turnovers may have the coaching staff taking another look at who will be under center for the Vikings next week.

The Vikings Have Found Their Featured Back for the Remainder of the Season in Ty Chandler

Alexander Mattison’s struggles with efficiency and holding onto the ball have been well-documented throughout the season. It had gotten to the point where Mattison began ceding carries to first Cam Akers and eventually preseason-standout Ty Chandler. Last Word on Sports wrote back in the preseason that Chandler already looks like the best running back in Minnesota. After Chandler’s performance on Saturday as the featured back with Mattison out due to an ankle injury, it looks like that take may have been nailed.

Chandler was a force throughout the afternoon. He ran with explosiveness and great vision, ripping off a number of chunk plays. Chandler also showed a lot of fight between the tackles, fighting for more extra yardage than his stature suggests he should be able to. Most importantly, Chandler also didn’t put the ball on the ground all afternoon. Ball security and avoiding negative plays are staples of playing the position and Chandler excelled at those. There were several plays where he got blown up in the backfield, yet still managed to squeeze out a yard or get back to the line of scrimmage. Those are the small but winning plays Minnesota needs to continue getting from the position.

It’s currently unknown when Mattison will get back from his ankle injury. What is clear though, is that Chandler should continue getting the majority of the backfield touches. The only question is what that split should look like when Mattison is fully back. Saturday showed that Chandler can produce at a high level with a heavy workload. Hopefully, Kevin O’Connell continues using Chandler as the featured back, spelling him on the occasional series or for a breather on longer drives. Minnesota finally appears to have their answer at running back.

Justin Jefferson Stars in Vikings Week 15 Loss

It’s hard to overstate how important Justin Jefferson’s return is to this offense. Saturday wasn’t his greatest statistical performance, but the tape shows he’s back close to full strength. Jefferson put on his usual route running clinic while making a number of difficult catches. It was also further validation that Jefferson is unstoppable no matter who he’s got at quarterback. In what marked his first full start in the NFL without Kirk Cousins, Jefferson showed that even a limited backup in Mullens couldn’t slow him down.

Maybe most importantly, Jefferson helped open up things for Minnesota’s other weapons. Ty Chandler was great, but one could tell that Cincinnati wasn’t always keying on stopping the run. Jordan Addison also feasted on one-on-one coverage and soft zones throughout the afternoon to the tune of two more touchdowns. Even T.J. Hockenson made a number of nice grabs resulting from poor single coverage.

That’s the Justin Jefferson effect. Teams have to focus so much attention on making sure he doesn’t completely wreck their game plan that they are unable to roll any additional help toward other parts of the offense. And Minnesota has the talent outside of Jefferson to thrive with those types of opportunities. The Vikings have to be thankful to have the best receiver on Earth back for the stretch run.

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