The Vikings Are Doing the Same Thing But Should Expect Different Results

As Week 9 approaches, the Minnesota Vikings say they are working Cam Akers into the game plan and are happy to have Dalton Risner in the mix.

“Cam's here for a reason,” O’Connell said.

“Dalton's very much a part of the conversation,” he added. “I anticipate trying to get him up to speed and ready to roll.”

Those quotes were from Wednesday’s practice, but they could have been from last year. The Vikings signed Risner on September 19 and traded for Akers 24 hours later. They must have been happy with those moves because they signed Risner and traded for Akers again this season.

Still, the Vikings were 0-2 when they added Akers and Risner last year, and the Los Angeles Chargers beat them at U.S. Bank Stadium a week later. Since 1990, only 11.5% of 0-2 have made the playoffs. That number drops to 2.5% if they start the year 0-3.

Vikings ownership has vowed to keep the team super competitive, so they approved bringing in Akers and Risner last year. Eventually, they crawled back to .500. Minnesota upset the San Francisco 49ers to move to 3-4 and was 4-4 when Kirk Cousins went down with a season-altering Achilles injury.

A year earlier, they had allowed Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to trade for T.J. Hockenson and later offer him a market-setting contract. They were 6-1 at the time of the trade and finished with 13 wins. However, 11 of them came by one score. Minnesota finished the year with a negative point differential and lost to Daniel Jones and the New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs.

The Vikings are in a familiar spot two years after trading for Hockenson and a year after adding Akers and Risner. They hope Hockenson will unlock their offense and that Akers can be an adequate backup for Aaron Jones. Risner also should provide valuable insurance with Christian Darrisaw suffering a season-ending injury in Los Angeles and Ed Ingram’s pass-blocking issues.

Minnesota is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Still, the context matters. They have a +51 point differential and are third in the league in DVOA. The Vikings also have the league’s best defense by DVOA despite some slippage in the past two games.

“We're a 5-2 football team,” special teams coordinator Matt Daniels emphasized, adding that the Vikings have plenty of veteran leadership in the locker room. “This isn't true adversity that we just hit all of a sudden.”

Losing Darrisaw hurts the league’s 16th-best offense by DVOA. However, that’s the side of the ball that the Vikings should be more readily able to improve. O’Connell is an offensive coach, Justin Jefferson is healthy, and they’re getting Hockenson back.

Even if they can’t run as many long-developing plays with Cam Robinson at left tackle, Sam Darnold should still be able to get the ball to his receivers. Jefferson had his first 100-yard game since Week 2. Jordan Addison is creating separation, and Hockenson is an upgrade from Johnny Mundt. Add in Jones’ impact in the run game, and this should be a top-10 offense in the league.

Last year, the Vikings had a flat tire when they added Akers and Risner. Then they hit a pothole, and the wheels came off. However, they’re adding air to a rising balloon this year. Nobody should be surprised that Ben Johnson cracked the code on Minnesota’s defense. Still, he and Sean McVay did so while Blake Cashman was on the sideline, and Brian Flores has had 10 days to close the safe again.

“That's just kind of the ongoing chess match throughout the season,” said Flores. “How much do you add within a week? Are they ready for [a new concept]? What players do you have available? I think all those things kind of come into play.”

Minnesota shouldn’t try the same thing and expect different results. However, the context has changed in the past two years. The Vikings aren’t getting by on one-score wins like they did two years ago. They didn’t start the year 0-3; they’ve lost two in a row after a 5-0 start.

The Vikings are also in the get-right part of their schedule. Vegas favors them by 5.5 points against Joe Flacco, 39, and the Indianapolis Colts. It will also favor them on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennesse Titans. Akers is here for a reason. Risner is in the mix. Hockenson should keep the offense from stalling out. There is no reason they can’t get back on track.