EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Now, the hard part begins for the Minnesota Vikings, who are hoping to win a playoff game for the first time since Brett Favre was their quarterback in January of 2010.
Coming out of their bye, the Vikings are 6-2 and lead the NFC North by 1 1/2 games heading into Monday night’s game between the Lions and Packers. But they’ve also feasted on five home games and a trip to London to play the lowly Cleveland Browns.
Now, the Vikings play four of their next five games on the road, including Sunday’s game at Washington, which is coming off an upset at Seattle.
After that, the Los Angeles Rams (6-2) visit before the Vikings hit the road for games at Detroit (3-4) on Thanksgiving, Atlanta (4-4) and Carolina (6-3).
The bye came at a good time for the offensive line, which has been turned from last year’s primary weakness to one of the strengths of this year’s team.
The Vikings are expected to get starters Nick Easton and Mike Remmers back for the Washington game. Easton has missed the last three games because of a calf injury, while Remmers left the Oct. 29 Browns game with a concussion in the first quarter.
The Vikings also are expected to activate quarterback Teddy Bridgewater from physically unable to perform on Wednesday. Case Keenum, who is 4-2 as a starter this season, is expected to start on Sunday.
But Bridgewater, who hasn’t played since suffering his horrific left knee injury before the start of the 2016 season, should be active and serve as the backup.
Right now, the backup is undrafted rookie Kyle Sloter, who joined the team after the preseason.
Meanwhile, the Vikings hope that Sam Bradford’s left knee will heal in time for him to return at some point this season. But they’re not counting on it.
Bradford has played only six quarters this season. He was injured in the season opener, but finished the game and posted a career-high 143.0 passer rating in a rout of the Saints.
Overall, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said he feels better about this year’s team coming out of the bye. A year ago, the Vikings were 5-0 at the bye, but went 3-8 down the stretch.
“I think we’re running the ball better,” Zimmer said of the team’s ninth-ranked run game. “Offense has been scoring points. Defense, we’ve been fairly solid.
“There’s a lot of areas we’re trying to get better at … there’s some things that we’re working on.”
The next five weeks will define the season. If the Vikings can stay in the hunt, they’ll finish the season with two of three games at home. They play Cincinnati at home on Dec. 17, the Packers in Green Bay on Dec. 23 and the Bears at home on Dec. 31.
–Players are a funny bunch. When reporters say they’re no good, they complain and say they’re good. When reporters say they’re great or “elite,” they disagree.
The team reconvened Monday for its first practice after the bye. After practice, reporters had their first crack at the players since last week.
Defenders were peppered with questions about how “elite” the defense is. The Vikings rank fourth in yards allowed (282.1) and third in points allowed (16.9).
“Too early,” cornerback Xavier Rhodes said. “We can say that when it’s Week 17, the season is over and we’re in the playoffs and we’re going for the Super Bowl. That’s when we can say we’re an elite defense. Right now, we’re still just trying to establish ourselves.”
–Since running back Dalvin Cook went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 4, backup running back Jerick McKinnon ranks fifth in the league in yards from scrimmage by a running back (424).
McKinnon was asked why he thinks that’s the case when a year ago, the backs couldn’t budge anybody while finishing last in the league in rushing.
“The offensive line,” he said Monday. “Those guys have been getting it done week in and week out with consistent play. Those guys open up things for us and allow the whole offense to work.”
NOTES: RB Jerick McKinnon is the only player in the NFL to post 20 or more catches and at least four touchdowns since Week 5. He’s done this despite playing just over 60 percent of the snaps. … TE Kyle Rudolph has caught seven of eight red-zone balls thrown to him. The red-zone catches rank second among NFL tight ends. His three red-zone touchdowns rank tied for fourth. … QB Case Keenum has directed six scoring drives of at least 80 yards this season. As a team, the Vikings have eight such drives this year. That’s four more than they had all of last season. … K Kai Forbath is tied for second in the NFL in field goals made with 21. He has made 15 straight. But he’s also 12 for 16 on extra points. … LT Riley Reiff has not allowed a sack all season. The Vikings have given up 10 sacks, third-fewest in the league.
MIDSEASON REPORT CARD
—PASSING OFFENSE: B – This isn’t exactly Air Shurmur, but all things considered, the offense is playing exceptionally well under the guidance of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Case Keenum, considered a low-level backup quarterback signing in the spring, has played all but six quarters for a team that is 6-2 and leading the NFC North. The passing offense ranks 14th in the league. Keenum has thrown only three interceptions and has taken only five sacks behind an offensive line that has gone from weakness to strength.
—RUSHING OFFENSE: B – The Vikings are 4-0 since they lost rookie running back phenom Dalvin Cook for the season. Jerick McKinnon has had ball-security issues and Latavius Murray has been stuck in first gear for the most part, but together they’ve kept the Vikings competitive in the run game. A year ago, the Vikings had no run game. They ranked last in the league. This year, they rank ninth with 120 yards per game. Another sign that the offensive line is now a strength.
—PASS DEFENSE: A – The combination of pressure and coverage has worked exceptionally well together. The Vikings have a shutdown corner in Xavier Rhodes, a versatile safety in Harrison Smith and a superior pass rush led by right end Everson Griffen, who has 10 sacks, including at least one in all eight games. The Vikings rank second in third-down defense as opponents are converting just 27.7 percent.
—RUSH DEFENSE: A – The Vikings are fourth in yards allowed and third in points allowed because they haven’t gotten sloppy against the run. When this defense slides, it always begins with cracks in gap control. The Vikings rank third against the run (81.3) and third in average yards allowed per rush (3.46).
—SPECIAL TEAMS: C – The Vikings can do much better here. They’ve proven that for years under special teams coordinator Mike Priefer. Losing the league’s best kickoff returner — Cordarrelle Patterson — to free agency sucked the life out of the kick return unit. The kickoff coverage unit also is struggling along at 23rd in the league. Kicker Kai Forbath has been a case study for just how strange kickers can be. In his 15 games as a Viking, he has nailed 36 of 37 field-goal attempts, but has missed seven extra points. He is 21 of 22 on field goals this year, but 12 of 16 on extra points.
—COACHING: A – Vikings fans have a lot of scar tissue, whether they are old-timers from the four Super Bowl losses to younger fans who usually got what they asked for when they expected the worst in recent playoff losses. So, when Sam Bradford went down with a balky left knee after a stellar season-opening performance, fans naturally took one look at Case Keenum, threw their hands up and surrendered. But overall talent, depth and coaching have the Vikings at 6-2 coming out of the bye. Offensive line coach Tony Sparano meshed four new starters together in a hurry. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has gotten the most out of his depth at quarterback and running back. On the other side of the ball, head coach Mike Zimmer’s defense has been disciplined and sharp against the run and dominant in third-down situations.
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