Sam Darnold, Vikings' offense have much to clean up after poor showing

Darnold showed cracks and the Vikings couldn't get much of anything going without Aaron Jones.

Oct 6, 2024; Tottenham, ENG; Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass in the 1st Quarter against New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. / Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images

As pleased as the Vikings are to be 5-0 after a win over the Jets in London, the coaches and players on the offensive side of the ball emerged from Sunday's game feeling like they dodged a bullet and didn't do their jobs well enough. Minnesota needed a monstrous, three-interception performance from Brian Flores' defense to overcome its worst offensive showing of the year by a wide margin. Kevin O'Connell, Sam Darnold, and the rest of the offense will head into the bye week knowing they have a lot to clean up ahead of a huge NFC North showdown with the Lions 14 days from now.

"It was not good enough, to our standard, on offense," was the postgame message from O'Connell, who praised the defense for picking them up when they needed it.

The Vikings came into Week 5 averaging 27.3 offensive points (excluding Andrew Van Ginkel's Week 1 pick-six) and 340.8 yards per game. Darnold was rolling, having thrown multiple touchdown passes with a passer rating of 109+ in all four games to lead the league in both categories.

But facing a strong Jets defense on Sunday, the Vikings' quarterback and offense as a whole struggled in a way that they never did in September. They were held to season-lows in offensive points (16) and yards (253). Darnold was 14 of 31 for 179 yards, no touchdowns, and a pick. The running game mustered just 82 yards on 30 carries and lost a fumble when Ty Chandler couldn't corral a simple pitch in the first quarter. The Vikings were 4 of 13 on third down, 0 for 1 on fourth down, and averaged just 3.8 yards per play. The offense also committed six of the team's 11 penalties.

"Way too many pre-snap penalties, way too many things that we really talked about," O'Connell said. "And it starts with me as the play caller, and I've got to make sure that I find a way to continue chasing improvement because there were some things offensively that just can't happen in the big scheme of 17 games over a season.

"Proud of our team for how we battled, but there were certainly some plays to be had, some plays I'd love to have back from a play caller standpoint. And then just the effectiveness as the day went on, not to our standard. Being 5-0, our offense has had a lot to do with that, but there's going to be days where we've gotta figure it out and we've gotta do a better job, and that starts with me."

The Vikings lost one of their best players, Aaron Jones, to a hip injury in the second quarter, which they're hoping isn't any sort of long-term issue. The offense clearly suffered without him, but his departure doesn't explain the severity of their struggles to execute. After C.J. Ham scored Minnesota's lone offensive touchdown in the second quarter, they gained three yards or fewer on five of their last seven real possessions (excluding the ends of both halves).

Darnold, the reigning NFC offensive player of the month for September, looked more like the young Jets version of himself than the guy who had so much success over the first four games of this season. O'Connell dialed up an aggressive game plan — Darnold's average depth of target was 13.5 yards downfield — but the execution simply wasn't there. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison combined for just nine catches on 22 targets. At times, the Vikings' best method of moving the ball was via some iffy defensive penalties on Jets defensive backs covering Jefferson.

"There's so much room for improvement," Darnold said. "There were definitely opportunities there that I missed."

Echols intercepts Darnold! Big takeaway for the @nyjets

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"Wasn't happy about how the offense played as a whole," said Jefferson, who managed 92 receiving yards and drew four flags, three of which came in quick succession in the second quarter. "We definitely left yards, points out there. There's definitely room for improvement and room to work. I'm excited for this bye week to get a rest and get back to it, but we definitely need to fix some things."

The Vikings know they need to play a lot better, but some credit should also go to the Jets' defense for its role in limiting Darnold and company. New York has had one of the best defenses in the league over the past couple years. The Vikings did just enough on offense to help pull this one out — their drive to set up Will Reichard's third field goal late in the fourth quarter was huge — and now they'll head into their bye week with plenty of time to fix things before Detroit comes to town.

"We'll go into our bye, get healthy at a couple spots and hopefully come out with the momentum that a 5-0 team should," O'Connell said. "Tons of challenges out in front of us and I can't wait to attack them with my guys."