The Minnesota Vikings were NFC North champions just two years ago, but as they start their work this summer in training camp, many observers believe they will be battling the Chicago Bears for third place in the division. The division has been taken over by the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers are close behind.
The Vikings are going through major changes in 2024 as quarterback Kirk Cousins left through free agency and signed with the Atlanta Falcons. The quarterback chores will be handled by veteran Sam Darnold, at least until head coach Kevin O'Connell and his staff deem that rookie J.J. McCarthy is ready to take over as the team's QB1.
O'Connell is considered a modern offensive master, having coached under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams prior to getting hired to lead the Vikings in 2022. In addition to his skill at developing a strong passing game, O'Connell is a positive-minded coach who regularly builds his players up in order to get the best out of them in game competition.
The Vikings have been extremely complimentary towards Darnold since signing him to a one-year, $10 million contract in the offseason. O'Connell believes that Darnold will have an excellent understanding of the Vikings offense by the time the season kicks off in Week 1 with a road game against the New York Giants.
O'Connell knows he has to take some pressure off of his quarterbacks
However, positive thinking and building him up will only take a player so far. Darnold's track record is not indicative of a winning starting quarterback. He is best looked at as a placeholder who can do an adequate job until the team's No. 1 draft pick is ready to take over. That may not happen until midseason, although McCarthy is very competitive and won't cede anything to a veteran quarterback. If he can prove he is the best quarterback during training camp, McCarthy will want to start.
Either way, the Vikings need to take pressure off of the quarterback and the passing game. The hope is the Vikings defense will continue to improve. The Vikings finished 16th in total defense in 2023, and that came a year after they ranked 31st in that category. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores will have an excellent chance of getting a head coaching slot if the Vikings have a top-10 defense.
However, the biggest make-or-break factor could come from the running game. The Vikings picked up Aaron Jones through free agency, and he is a potential gamebreaker at the position.
The former Packer hurt the Vikings while he was playing in Green Bay, and now he would like to punish the Packers when he plays against them in Week 4 on the road and Week 17 in Minnesota.
Jones had huge role in Green Bay's playoff run
Jones was limited by injuries last year and started just 11 games for the Packers. He had 142 carries for 656 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he was much better in the playoffs. Jones had a remarkable game against the Dallas Cowboys, gaining 118 yards on 21 carries and scoring 3 touchdowns.
He remained a huge factor in the divisional playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers by gaining 108 yards on 18 carries.
Prior to last season, Jones rushed for more than 1,000 yards in three of the previous 4 seasons. The Vikings are hoping he can mimic his 2019 season when he rushed for 1,084 yards and scored 16 touchdowns.
O'Connell had a superstar at the running back position in Dalvin Cook during his first year with the Vikings. While Cook regularly showed off his game-breaking ability, his tendency to get caught for negative yards annoyed O'Connell and he decided to turn the running game over to Alexander Mattison, who had been Cook's backup.
Mattison did not give the Vikings the needed juice in the running game, as he gained 700 yards and did not get into the end zone. Jones will be expected to become a key weapon once the Vikings have the ball in the red zone.
If he can find a way to combine big-play ability with a tendency to put the ball in the end zone, Jones will have a chance to help the Vikings overcome expectations and become a winning team in 2024.
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