It has been a surprisingly good start to the season for the Minnesota Vikings, as first-year head coach Kevin O'Connell has gotten his team off to a 5-1 start and a 2 1/2-game lead in the NFC North.
Instead of looking up at the Green Bay Packers, as has been the case in the the last three seasons, the Vikings have set the tone by getting the edge on the takeaway-turnover table, playing efficient football in the final minutes of the first half and the opening minutes of the second and by doing a solid job on special teams.
These were all areas that the Vikings struggled in under former head coach Mike Zimmer, and O'Connell has cleaned them up nicely. However, he knows that neither a playoff spot nor a division title is guaranteed. The Vikings need to improve on both sides of the ball, and they need to be buyers by the November 1 trade deadline to make that happen.
3. Vikings need to bring in some help in the secondary
The biggest weakness the Vikings have is their ability to defend the pass. While O'Connell and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell have made several changes, they have not been able to improve the team in this area. The Vikings allow 272.0 passing yards per game and rank 28th in that category and they will have a difficult time stopping elite teams if they don't show improvement.
While safety Harrison Smith is still an elite player, cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler often struggle in coverage. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah needs to target at least one cornerback to add to the roster.
The player Adofo-Mensah should try to target is cornerback Bryce Hall of the New York Jets. While the Jets are off to a 5-2 start of their own, the Jets have a better chance of making a major statement in 2023 and beyond than they do in 2022. Hall has lost his starting position to rookie Sauce Gardner, so he should mean more to the Vikings than he does the Jets.
2. Add a receiver to help Kirk Cousins
The Vikings have one of the best 1-2 punches at the wide receiver position with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Jefferson is a big-play specialist who has caught 46 passes for 654 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Thielen (29-284-2) has demonstrated that he is a brilliant receiver in the red zone and knows how to keep drives alive with third-down receptions.
However, opponents are capable of double-teaming Jefferson regularly because the Vikings don't have quality depth at the position. Jerry Jeudy of the Denver Broncos and Kendrick Bourne of the New England Patriots would be excellent targets for quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Jeudy has caught 24-386-2 and has the speed to keep opponents from double-teaming Jefferson. Bourne (11-156-0) has been lightly used by the Patriots but might be able to fit in well as a No. 3 receiver.
1. Improve the pass rush
The Vikings have a pair of big-name pass rushers in Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith. Hunter has 27 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 6 tackles for loss, while Smith has 15 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 9 TFL. However, both Hunter and Smith have significant injury histories, so bringing in another pass rusher could bring peace of mind to O'Connell and Donatell.
Not only would it help the Minnesota front seven, it would also help the secondary. The more pressure that the Vikings can put on opposing quarterbacks, the better it is for those in coverage.
Clelin Ferrell of the Las Vegas Raiders may be the potential target. While Ferrell has not lived up to expectations as the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, he still has the size (6-4 and 265) and skills to get the job done. He has just 7 tackles and 1/2 sack for the Raiders, but he could thrive in a new uniform.
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