With the Week 5 meeting with the New Orleans Saints on the horizon, I look at the three Vikings who need to show up more than they have done so far this season.
3 Vikings Who Need to Show Up Against the Saints
It might have been a 4-0 start in Minnesota, but it’s been far from perfect on the field for the Vikings. Some parts of the team, mostly the defense and Will Reichard’s right leg, have carried the squad, while others have underperformed. This article intends to look at players who have either been underperforming or need to step up into a more prominent role.
Jauan Jennings
The most obvious candidate for this list is the wide receiver that Minnesota spent up to $13 million on in the offseason. I was excited by the arrival of Jauan Jennings, who I thought was just the type of receiver the team needed to add. At 6’3 and 212 lbs he added some physicality to the wide receiver room that wasn’t there.
Unfortunately, so far we’ve only seen that used positively as a run blocker. Through four games Jennings had 2 catches from 5 targets for just 9 yards. Not what you want from your WR3 but for the last seven quarters he’s been the team’s de facto WR2 because of an injury to Justin Jefferson.
Minnesota will hope to have Jefferson back this week but we still need to see more from Jennings. Of course, the Vikings have a wider offensive problem that they need to solve but Jennings should be part of the solution. He is an excellent red zone threat, but the team isn’t getting in that situation enough. Minnesota has struggled to score touchdowns so far this season, and in Jennings, they have a guy who scored nine last season. They need to start taking advantage of Jennings’ physical attributes to help the passing game get going. With Odell Beckham Jr arriving in Minnesota this week, there will be added pressure on Jennings to perform.
Byron Murphy
At the cornerback position, Byron Murphy is being paid considerably more than Isaiah Rodgers and James Pierre combined. So far this season, he has been the least impressive of the three.
Rodgers has had an incredible start to the season and has been one of the best-performing cornerbacks across the league while Pierre has looked like the coverage expert that was advertised when he was signed in free agency earlier this year.
Murphy hasn’t been horrific but his 57.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus and 82.4 passer rating allowed aren’t stats that fit a guy who is being $18 million a year. The Vikings need more from their highly-paid cornerback.
Demond Claiborne
Following the Week 1 injury to Jordan Mason, the Vikings have had to lean heavily on Aaron Jones to lead their rushing attack. It left the rookie running back with a chance to get some playing time, but he hasn’t turned it into much so far. Claiborne has six rushes for 13 yards and one catch for two yards. He couldn’t get anything going until an eight-yard run against the Dolphins last week finally provided a glimpse of what he can do.
Minnesota has attempted to give Jones support in the run game, with DeeJay Dallas also having three carries and jet sweeps to Jordan Addison and Myles Price used against the Dolphins. Mason is eligible to return from injured reserve when the Vikings next play after a Week 6 bye. This could be one of Claiborne’s best chances to make a mark.