What's slowing the Vikings' offense? It's the 3rd quarter

Third quarter issues show staggering drop in production

If the playoffs started today the Minnesota Vikings would be the No. 2 seed in the NFC. It's a sweet spot, but even the Vikings recognize their 4-1 record could easily be reversed if it weren't for good fortune and late heroics in games where the defense otherwise disappeared and the offense stalled out. 

It happened against the Lions, Saints and again on Sunday against the Bears, when a dominant 21-3 lead devolved into a 22-21 deficit that required a fourth quarter touchdown drive from Kirk Cousins and a game-winning forced fumble by Cam Dantzler. 

Even in Minnesota's 23-7 Packer shellacking in Week 1, the offense scored 17 points in the first half and just six in the second half. Consistency has not existed over any 60-minute game this season.

"If we can do that, we're going to be tough to stop," Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen said Monday. 

What happened against the Bears? Thielen said Chicago "completely changed their game plan" after Minnesota shredded them with three straight touchdown drives to start the game. 

"As soon as we started tearing it up a little bit, I'm pretty sure that we didn't see a coverage other than Cover 2 the rest of the game," Thielen said during a guest appearance on KFAN's Power Trip Morning Show. 

"Those are the times where you gotta be able to run the football, and I feel like we did that but a couple times we had penalties that put us back, which is just tough to convert those first and 20s, second and 20s. And then you're playing against a Cover 2 so they're not letting you take shots, not letting you defeat man coverage. You gotta be able to be efficient on first and second downs and create short yardage third downs."

That's a lot of words to say a couple of penalties set them back. But it's really not the case. Other than a holding call in the third quarter and a false start in the fourth quarter – both of which were converted into first downs – the Vikings didn't find themselves in difficult situations. 

And third downs were not a problem. 

Minnesota was 12-of-15 on third downs overall and only four were longer than five yards, and they still converted two of those. The problem against Chicago might be the simple fact that they had only three offensive possessions in the second half. 

Explaining the offensive slumps through five games, however, is a story all about the third quarter, in which Minnesota has mustered a total of just six points this season.

• 1st quarter: 22 points
• 2nd quarter: 51 points
• 3rd quarter: 6 points
• 4th quarter: 37 points

The Vikings have had 11 drives that started and finished in the third quarter and they've totaled 215 yards, six points, three punts, four turnovers and two missed field goals. 

• 4 plays, -5 yards: field goal (Green Bay)
• 5 plays, 20 yards: punt (Green Bay)
• 9 plays, 60 yards: interception (Philadelphia)
• 3 plays, 3 yards: interception (Philadelphia)
• 3 plays, 2 yards: punt (Detroit)
• 9 plays, 39 yards: missed field goal (Detroit)
• 3 plays, 18 yards: fumble (Detroit)
• 3 plays, 1 yard: punt (New Orleans)
• 5 plays, 38 yards: field goal (New Orleans)
• 7 plays, 15 yards: blocked field goal (Chicago)
• 5 plays, 24 yards: interception (Chicago)

Is it opposing defenses out-scheming Minnesota and making better adjustments in the second half? It's hard to say for sure, but whatever the case, defenses are finding ways to limit Justin Jefferson after halftime.

Jefferson receptions by quarter:

• 1st quarter: 14
• 2nd quarter: 12
• 3rd quarter: 8
• 4th quarter: 8

That was evident Sunday as Jefferson scorched the Bears with 10 catches and 138 yards in the first half compared to just two catches for 16 yards in the second half. 

The second half woes, primarily in the third quarter, relate directly to what Purple Insider's Matthew Coller wrote about before the Chicago game, saying the Vikings are living and dying by Jefferson. 

Entering the Chicago game, the Vikings were averaging 9.9 yards per play when Jefferson was involved and 3.9 yards on all non-Jefferson plays. Same story Sunday: an average of 12.6 yards on 14 Jefferson plays, including his 23-yard pass play to Dalvin Cook, and 4.4 yards 59 non-Jefferson plays. 

Still, "there's been zero panic," according to Thielen. 

"There was just a calming, confident feel in that huddle. We've been here before, we've prepared for this, we're ready for this opportunity. We've done it before so we have a standard," he said. 

It would be even better if the Vikings could put together a full 60 minutes and avoid any reason to panic. 

Related: 5 things that stood out in the Vikings' win over the Bears

Related: Can the Vikings' defense continue to come up clutch?