Yes, the Minnesota Vikings are still undefeated, thanks to a victory over the New York Jets, in London, over the weekend. While fans, players and coaches are ecstatic about their 5-0 record, everyone who watched or participated will openly admit the purple have a lot to work on.
Justin Jefferson was frustrated after the game, with the Minnesota’s struggle to move the football with any consistency on offense, which he admitted was carried to victory by their defense on Sunday. He is right.
The Vikings offense totalled just 253 yards vs the Jets. After Aaron Jones went out with an early hip injury, Ty Chandler carried the ball 14 times, and averaged just 2.1 yards per carry. Sam Darnold threw for under 50%, completing 14 of 31 passes, for just 179 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Ed Ingram was the worst player on the field in London
Obviously, there is a lot than needs worked on during the Minnesota Vikings bye week, especially on offense. But they might want to start in the exact same spot they know has been a weakness for the last two years.
But right guard, Ed Ingram might be the weakest link of the bunch. The former LSU stud took a HUGE step back in his development on Sunday. Ingram’s struggles caused major issues in Sam Darnold’s timing and Ty Chandler’s ability to find space in the run game.
There aren’t a lot of tools to measure offensive line play, but Pro Football Focus helps. I brought video evidence too (below). But even if you do not trust PFF, the downright brutal grades handed down to the Vikings’ 3rd year guard on Sunday are so eye-popping that they are worth checking out.
| PFF Grades | Overall | Run Block | Pass Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Ingram | 36.0 | 51.1 | 19.8 |
Related: Oddsmakers Like Minnesota Vikings in Stacked NFC North
In 73 offensive snaps vs the Jets, Ingram received an overall offensive grade of 36.0. That absolutely brutal mark is actually held up by a not quite as terrible 51.1 run block grade. Where Ed’s chart from Sunday gets ugly is in the pass block column, where PFF gave him an impossibly bad 19.8 pass block grade, the worst in the league among offensive linemen in week 5.
Minnesota Vikings vs New York Jets: Ingram rides international struggle bus
Alright, now some video evidence. It took me about 1.5 minutes of searching Twitter to find some atrocious Ed Ingram snaps, and I didn’t even search his name. For example, that one Nick Mullens snap, where he threw a jump ball to Aaron Jones, who Mossed his defender for the grab? Yeah, Nick Mullens will have PTSD forever, from this hit.
I keep coming back to this. Nick Mullens comes in cold on 3rd-and-4. Kevin O'Connell doesn't care. Empty backfield. Mullens guns it. Not a perfect throw, but an elite newcomer covers for it. Confidence. Aggressiveness. No fear. Story of a 5-0 start – offense + defense. #narrative pic.twitter.com/oHSGbFjL31
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) October 7, 2024
If I’m opposing defensive coordinators, I’m running stunts at and away from Ed Ingram all day long, which is what the Jets did. I mean, this dude has absolutely no idea when to pass off a block or how to handle a defender who does anything other than come straight at him. Watch this one. It’s Sam Darnold’s interception from Sunday.
Related: Where Do Minnesota Vikings Rank in Latest NFL Power Rankings (Week 6)
Yes, it was a bad throw. No doubt about it. But Sam was near his own endzone and probably knew he didn’t have much time on his blindside, when he saw Ed Ingram take off to chase his defender around the backside of the defensive line — like they were playing a round of Duck, Duck, Gray Duck — until he ran into another Jets defensive lineman, and nearly falls over. Just incredible.
Nailor runs a clear out route while tight end holds the safety, opening the window for Addison… but Darnold overthrows it and it's picked. Darnold also may not have been expecting the little stutter-step from Addison, leading to the overthrow. pic.twitter.com/09OGw94lOO
— Warren Ludford (@wludford) October 7, 2024