Stock Up, Stock Down From the Vikings' 28-25 Victory Over the Saints in London
The Vikings won their second consecutive game on Sunday, surviving a scare from the Saints in a thrilling contest in London. New Orleans rallied from nine points down to take their first lead in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings' offense responded multiple times. It came down to a 61-yard field goal attempt by Wil Lutz, which double-doinked and fell to the turf to seal the Vikings' victory.
Who played well for the Vikings in the win? Who played poorly? Let's break it down with a stock report.
Stock up
Justin Jefferson
After torching the Packers in Week 1, Jefferson had a couple quiet games while dealing with significant defensive attention. This week, he said he expected to see more 1-on-1 coverage against Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, with fewer double teams. That's exactly what happened, and it didn't go well for New Orleans.
Jefferson had a huge game, finishing with ten catches on 13 targets for 147 yards and scoring his first career rushing touchdown on a jet sweep. Jefferson used his elite route-running to create separation against Lattimore for most of the afternoon. He had a pair of big plays — a 41-yard gain when two Saints defenders collided on an over route and a 39-yard gain on a go route that set up the Vikings' go-ahead field goal. Jefferson did everything for the Vikings in London and got to hit the international Griddy he was hoping for.
Even with two quiet games sandwiched between big days, Jefferson is on pace for 1,670 yards.
Cameron Dantzler
The Vikings' inconsistent third-year cornerback might've been their best defensive player on Sunday. He had three pass breakups, one of which should've been an interception, and recorded a tackle for loss. Dantzler's biggest play came just before the two-minute warning when he dove to break up a deep pass intended for Chris Olave. If he doesn't make that play, the game could've ended quite differently. Patrick Peterson also played well for the Vikings.
Adam Thielen
The final stat line won't wow you — 8 catches on 9 targets for 72 yards — but Thielen was a big part of this victory. He was constantly getting open and providing an intermediate target for Cousins. Each of Thielen's first five catches gained at least ten yards and moved the chains. He also drew a couple key penalties on the Vikings' touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, although both were perhaps generous calls.
Most of the defensive line
In recent weeks, the first half has been an issue for the Vikings' defense. Not today. They held the Saints to seven points before the break, and the lead could've grown to much more than 16-7 if the Vikings' offense had executed better. The defensive line played especially well in the first half. Za'Darius Smith picked up his third sack of the season, Dalvin Tomlinson had a strip sack that Harrison Phillips recovered, and D.J. Wonnum played noticeably well against the run. There was very little running room for Mark Ingram early in this game.
Basically the entire defense played poorly in the second half, but the D-line did enough in the first half to get into this section.
Special teams
Matt Daniels' special teams unit was the difference-maker for the Vikings. Greg Joseph missed an extra point, but he more than made up for it by going five for five on field goals, including the winner from 47 yards out. Ryan Wright landed two of his three punts inside the 20, and more importantly, completed his first career passing attempt on a clever fake suggested to Kevin O'Connell by Daniels. Kris Boyd forced and recovered a fumble on a Saints punt return. The Vikings had a couple nice returns of their own. This was another fantastic game for Daniels and the Vikings' special teams.
Stock down
The offensive line
Through three games, the Vikings' offensive line was off to a strong start to the season, especially tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill. Sunday was a step back in that regard. Both Darrisaw and O'Neill were beaten cleanly in pass protection at times; it was surprising to see O'Neill whiff as badly as he did against Cameron Jordan on a second quarter sack. The Saints also picked up two sacks through the interior, though one may have been Cousins' fault and one came on a heavy blitz. As a whole, it wasn't a great day for the O-line. There wasn't much running room for Dalvin Cook and the Saints were frequently able to pressure Cousins while rushing four.
Ed Donatell
The Vikings' new defensive coordinator has not made a great impression through four weeks. His defense was gashed in the first half against both the Eagles and Lions, and it fell apart after a solid start against a shorthanded Saints team in London. Missing their top QB, RB, WR, and LG, the Saints encountered almost no resistance on their final four possessions. Andy Dalton was able to lead two long touchdown drives and get to midfield for a pair of long field goal attempts.
It may be past time for Donatell to consider some changes to his approach. The Vikings continue to play a lot of soft zone coverage, which is easy for quarterbacks to pick apart when they're not under pressure. One of the few times the Vikings did dial up pressure came on third down prior to the two-minute warning, and it resulted in Dalton rushing an incompletion. Donatell's defense has been a liability far more than it's been an asset this season.
Danielle Hunter
Hunter hasn't quite looked like the same guy in this 3-4 scheme. He had been fairly productive through the first three games, but to the naked eye, he didn't have much of an impact on this game. Hunter finished with just three tackles.
Johnny Mundt
Mundt only got one target in this game, but it was a big one. Late in the first half, with the Vikings facing third and 1 in the red zone, Cousins threw to a wide open Mundt on a short route. The ball went right through his hands, and O'Connell decided to settle for a short field goal. That drop may have cost the Vikings four points.
Stock neutral
Kirk Cousins
This was an up-and-down game for Cousins, which is why he lands in this section. He threw an interception to Tyrann Mathieu late in the first quarter and didn't see an open Jefferson in the end zone in the third. However, Cousins turned it into a positive day by hitting Jefferson with a perfectly-placed go ball late in the fourth quarter, setting up the Vikings' game-winning field goal.
Kevin O'Connell
O'Connell also had a rollercoaster of a game. His opening script worked to perfection as the Vikings scored a touchdown on the game's first drive. Along with Cousins, he gets credit for helping the Vikings score 28 points and win the game. I also liked the fake punt call on fourth down and several other play calls, including Jefferson's touchdown on a jet sweep. However, O'Connell didn't handle the end of the first half very well. After electing to kick a field goal on fourth and 1, the Vikings got the ball back and weirdly didn't use any of their three timeouts until using one in the final seconds of the half. The running game also seemed too predictable for most of the game. A win is a win, but O'Connell would likely tell you he can be better than he was against the Saints.
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.
