Matthew Coller: Vikings-related thoughts coming out of the bye week

The NFC North went crazy on Sunday, setting up for a huge Vikings-Lions game this week.

Oct 13, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) waves to fans after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

While the Minnesota Vikings were on the bye week, there was a lot of action around the NFL relevant to them so let's dive into some Week 6 and Vikings takeaways coming out of the bye….

Hello Detroit

Had the Detroit Lions lost in Dallas, the shine of the Vikings-Lions matchup at US Bank Stadium might have been scuffed a bit. Instead the Lions tossed gasoline and lighter fluid on the battle for the top of the NFC North next Sunday when the demolished the Cowboys 47-9.

Detroit’s offense had already started to catch fire last week when they ran the Seahawks off the field but Ben Johnson’s side of the football went into full berserk mode with 492 yards and Jared Goff finished the game with a perfect passer rating.

The matchup between the Lions offense and the Vikings defense is a battle of the best two units in the NFL. Brian Flores’s group has already slowed down top-notch quarterbacks Brock Purdy and CJ Stroud at home and now has a chance to put together a signature performance this week. Likewise, the Lions have an opportunity to put up points against the NFL’s top defense and show that they are truly a Super Bowl favorite.

Oh, this one is juicy. There might be an argument that this is the biggest game the Vikings and Lions have played…ever? It might be too early in the season to say that but how many times have the Vikings and Lions both made arguments for the No. 1 spot in the entire NFL? The Vikings are the surprise 5-0 team, the Lions are the club carrying the highest expectations in the conference. Both have great coaching, star players all over the field and the atmosphere at US Bank Stadium will be at 10/10.

It’s been a while since a team with this much hype was coming to town and the Vikings had the better record. Soak up the build up to this one, friends.

Aidan Hutchinson hurt

The only down side to Detroit winning over Dallas was that superstar pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson left the game with a leg injury. He had surgery and will not play against the Vikings and it’s likely that he won’t be on the field this season. While nobody wants to see a gruesome injury and everyone hopes for a full Hutchinson recovery, we can’t ignore how relevant his absence is to the game. The former No. 2 overall pick was running away with the lead for most QB pressures in the NFL this year and making a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year. Now the Vikings, who have protected well overall for Sam Darnold, will have a much easier time containing Detroit’s pass rush. It could also put a ceiling on how good the Lions defense can be this season. They are vastly improved but it’s a tougher road without Hutchinson.

Caleb Williams is getting it

I am fully prepared for Vikings fans to respond to Caleb Williams looking fantastic in London with: “But it was against the Jaguars!” And you are right. There is no more sorry franchise right now than the Jaguars. At the same time, Williams did so many things right that it can’t be ignored. He made plays on time, he made plays out of structure, he found open receivers, he dropped dimes into tight coverage, he scrambled for big plays. The final result was his second completely dominant performance in a row. Williams’s final stat line: 23-of-29, 226 yards, four touchdowns.

Not to mention the Bears defense continues to stifle opponents. They have only allowed more than 20 points one time this season and that was 21 against the Colts.

The Vikings face off with the Bears on November 24 at Solider Field. Chicago has Washington, Arizona, New England and Green Bay before then, so it’s reasonable that they could be looking at a 6-4 record with playoff hopes on the line when they first see Minnesota.

It will be very interesting to see where Williams stands at that point. If he continues to grow, we could be talking about a player who isn’t exactly a rookie anymore when he plays the Vikings. Or he could have some rookie moments in between and the buzz might be tempered.

One thing we can say pretty clearly: If you were hoping the No. 1 overall pick was going to fall flat on his face and the Vikings would cruise over Chicago this year, that possibility seems pretty well out the window.

Jags trade targets?

The Vikings had to have been watching Chicago crush the spirits of the Jacksonville Jaguars with an eye on potential trade targets after the Jags dropped to 1-5. Their right guard Brandon Schreff had only allowed five QB pressures all year prior to Sunday and still seems to have enough in the tank to be a huge upgrade. Running back Travis Etienne has been strangely phased out of the offense and might be looking for a fresh start (though he did leave Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury).

Jordan Love is back

Remember that Jordan Love from the second half of last season? He was back on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Love threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-13 victory at Lambeau Field. Green Bay tacked on another 179 yards rushing to go along with their dynamic passing game.

The Packers now have back-to-back wins following their loss to the Vikings but they have a tough couple games ahead with Houston, Detroit, Chicago and San Francisco making up four of their next five opponents. Where they stand after the next month will determine whether they are fighting for the top of the division with the Vikings and Lions or for a wild card spot.

One thing is clear from 2023: If Love catches fire, the Packers are a major threat.

A wild stat circulated the interwebs on Sunday night: The four NFC North teams have the four best point differentials in the NFC. In other years, a 5-0 Vikings team would only need to compete with maybe one other NFC North team for the crown but not this time around. This might be a photo finish.

Other game reactions

— Washington fell short against the Ravens but Jayden Daniels keep stacking remarkable weeks. He threw for 269 yards, two touchdowns and finished with a 110.3 QB rating. The Commanders are suddenly a team to be reckoned with in the NFC, now and into the future.

— Former Viking OC Kevin Stefanski still insists he won’t sit DeShaun Watson after he posted 168 yards in a loss to Philadelphia. I guess he has to ride the ship all the way down. Can’t help but wonder if Stefanski will get an OC job after this or if the Watson stain will be tough to wash off.

Remember when there was a report a few years ago that the Vikings had checked in with the Texans about trading for Watson. Whew. No franchise is down worse.

— Baker Mayfield is the most entertaining quarterback in the NFL right now. Against the Saints he threw for 325 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. The Bucs are 4-2 now and definitely not regretting bringing Baker back after making the playoffs with him last year.

The Saints, on the other hand, probably regret not getting a veteran backup. Spencer Rattler got knocked around pretty good after starting out decently against a poor Bucs defense. He finished with one TD, two INT and five times sacked in their 51-27 loss. The Saints are now 2-4 on the season, stuck in forever purgatory. They have to be thinking about drafting a QB next year.

— Drake Maye played for the first time and found the end zone three times. Otherwise, have mercy on his soul because the Patriots’ blocking is nowhere near good enough to protect him.

— Kirk Cousins had a solid 225-yard day against Carolina in a blowout win. Look at the Vikings’ upcoming schedule and find a harder non-division game on the schedule than December 8 vs. Atlanta. That tells you something about how the Falcons have improved lately but it also tells you something about the Vikings’ schedule outside of the games against Detroit, Green Bay and Chicago.

Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson watch

The Vikings are back to work on Monday. We’ll see if there are any signs of Aaron Jones at practice after he suffered a hip injury that Kevin O’Connell called “week-to-week.” The day to watch is Wednesday. If Jones is at least limited in practice mid-week, then he may have a chance to play against Detroit. However, it might make more sense to play on Thursday night against the Rams.

If Jones can’t play, the pressure will be on Ty Chandler, who had a rough game against the Jets (though two big runs were negated by penalties). O’Connell talked last Monday about Chandler possibly stepping up.

“I think if Ty [Chandler] can get into a flow, into a groove, maybe we find a few more yards on him, but that's all part of the process, I’ve got a lot of confidence in Ty,” O’Connell said. “Really going back to last year when he really emerged for us like he did in the second half of last season.”

TJ Hockenson gets back to practice this week. Last week ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he isn’t likely to return until the Thursday night game or the following week vs. Indianapolis. It will be worth watching if he gets any full practices in. You can expect a player like Hockenson will be pushing as hard as he can to return.