The Minnesota Vikings‘ offense is a concern for many after not recording a touchdown in the 15-10 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 4. Minnesota’s defense held Miami’s offense to 10 points, and the Vikings did enough on offense to secure the win and move to 4-0.
Nonetheless, this performance didn’t give confidence to those already worried about the Vikings’ offense after their Week 3 performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Murray did go 27-for-37 on his pass attempts, resulting in 247 passing yards and a passer rating of 90.7.
Minnesota also should have Justin Jefferson back for the Week 5 game against the New Orleans Saints. As a result, when it comes to the offenses that are drawing concern around the league, ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears is giving an encouraging offensive outlook for the Vikings.
“I would have to go Vikings,” Spears said on the Oct. 5 edition of “The Rich Eisen Show,” when talking about which offense can turn around their performance among the Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Chargers.
“One, because Justin Jefferson is there. I know the quarterback situation can be super inconsistent at times. Aaron Jones is there. They got a really good tight end, and defensively, they’re going to have a lot of opportunities because of what Brian Flores and that side does. So, just being able to get the ball as much as possible helps that offense as well.”
Marcus Spears on Kyler Murray Amid Offense Concerns
Moreover, Spears put a focus on Murray, who has yet to put together an impactful showing through two games. Nonetheless, the ESPN analyst believes that the inconsistency should be a surprise.
“We expect, number one, for Kyler Murray to come in, and obviously, we’re thinking about Kyler when he’s playing at a very high level from his days, but inconsistency has kind of followed him, and that’s where Kevin O’Connell comes into play with how can he formulate, I guess, easy options, give him more of what Kyler Murray likes to do within the structure of what Kevin O’Connell does,” Spears added.
“Then, two, just the connection. We talked about preseason at training camp, [he] missed time, then obviously missed time with the concussion, but getting on the same page because the one thing Minnesota does have is weapons on the outside. We know that. So I probably feel a little bit more confident than that and their offensive line, to me, is not as abysmal as the [Eagles and Chargers].”
Vikings QB Kyler Murray on T.J. Hockenson’s Performance
T.J. Hockenson was one of the bright spots in the win over the Dolphins. The veteran tight end caught 13 passes on 13 targets for 119 yards, with his longest reception for 22 yards and an average of 9.2 yards per catch. After the win over the Dolphins, Murray spoke to the media and shared candid remarks when talking about Hockenson’s performance.
“I know how great he wants to be and how confident he is in his ability and who he is, and it’s been frustrating for everybody as far as how we’ve been playing offensively the past couple of weeks,” Murray told reporters postgame.
“We feel like we’re much better than what we’ve been putting out there on the film. So today happened to be his day, and I expect many more days for him because he’s a great player. I expect many more days for T.J.”
Vikings Get Encouraging Week 5 Outlook Amid Offensive Woes