EAGAN — The Minnesota Vikings improved to 6-2 with a 21-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The game was nowhere near as close as the final score looks based on the rest of the box score. So let’s take a look at what went right and what went wrong…

Game number and offensive operation

The Vikings entered the NFL last Sunday night in total offensive plays, which head coach Kevin O’Connell talked about wanting to improve on several occasions before the game. Mission accomplished. They ran 71 total plays to Indianapolis’ 49 and were on the field for 36:54.

One of the main things that affected the offense’s ability to sustain drives was penalties. Especially delays of game, false start and illegal movement/formation flags. On Sunday, they left the ballpark with just one offensive penalty (a holding call) and were otherwise clean in the operation. Sam Darnold also seemed to get to the line of scrimmage quicker than the group.

O’Connell said Monday that they tweaked things in practice last week to speed up the process of getting the play call and adjustments made more quickly. They also didn’t have as many moving parts before the snap.

“We did some things specifically on some of the harder downhills where maybe we weren’t as exotic with our formations,” O’Connell said. “It’s all about the urgency to get in and out of the crowd. I can get Sam the wristband number or the play call as quickly as possible, but we still have to have the clarity of the play call and then guys break the huddle knowing exactly what to do, where to go.”

The Vikings head coach also fixed some of his earlier issues, saying he needs to make sure he gets the play calls as quickly as possible regardless of what’s going on in the game.

“It always starts with me,” O’Connell said. “I have to be really good at going from a previous play. Sometimes I get carried away either by the officials or trying to make sure that what happens in the previous game, we have to move on.”

Sam Darnold passes short and intermediate

The Vikings quarterback has been very good at throwing the ball deep all season, but against the Colts he “played fullback” with the quick and intermediate passing game. On throws that went 0-19 yards, he completed 21 of 24 with 15 first downs, 251 yards and three touchdowns.

Passes that traveled less than 10 yards in the air accounted for 38 percent of his attempts and gained 8.2 yards per attempt, continuing a positive trend of quick play that has continued for the offense since the Detroit game.

Overall this season, Darnold has a 125.6 rating when throwing from 0-9 yards and 109.3 from 10-19 yards.

Cam Robinson debut, Brian O’Neill (as usual)

Have you ever taken a test after barely looking at the material and somehow passed? Well, that’s what Robinson was forced to do on Sunday night, and he came away with a quality performance. The former Jaguar was acquired midweek and went on to play all 73 snaps at left tackle in place of the injured Christian Darrisaw and gave up four pressures (zero sacks or QB hits) on 42 blocking snaps passes and scored a solid 66.1 overall.

“A veteran player with over 90 starts, he knows how to play the game,” O’Connell said. “His physicality in the running game, maybe his technique might not have been perfect, but his length and strength and he was able to come off the rock when we needed him to, depending on whether I was running next to him or he was on back. part of the run, that occurred to me.”

The offensive scheme, KOC said, was built with the intention of giving Robinson an extra arm, but as the game wore on, they had to provide additional help to the interior so Robinson would be on an island.

“I left him as a left tackle,” O’Connell said. “I left him alone a few times and he answered the bell. I also want to single out Blake (Brandel) and Garrett (Bradbury) for their communication.”

On the other hand, Brian O’Neill has put together a gem. On 42 pass-blocking snaps, he gave up zero QB pressures. It was the second time he’s pitched a shutout this year, and the veteran RT has been credited with just one sack and zero QB hits this season.

“I think Brian O’Neill is having one of the best seasons that I know that I’ve been a part of and he’s been an established core player in this organization for a long time,” O’Connell said. “But I can’t say enough about what he means to our offense and what he’s been able to do this year at the right tackle spot, certainly playing some of the best football of his career.”

Josh Oliver’s career best game

The massive Vikings tight end has proven to have very good hands for a man of his size and proved it again with a career-high five receptions. Four of those went for first downs or touchdowns, including the game-sealing TD on the Vikings’ end. Oliver was also the second-highest graded run blocker Sunday night by PFF and provided an assist in the pass blocking game as well.

“Josh does things that sometimes don’t get seen enough, it’s his role in the running game and in his professional past, the physicality he brings to our offense and has the ability to impact the passing game, big moves well, great catch range,” Connell said.

Dallas Turner appears

The Vikings rookie played the second-most snaps of his young career with 26 and produced four pressures on 11 pass snaps. He was also asked to drop into coverage for six plays and was not targeted. Turner was graded 71.3 by PFF, the second-highest grade of the year.

“I thought there were some real flashes in the pass rush and just activity, solid in the run game,” O’Connell said of Turner’s play. “We wanted to make sure he was a little more involved in the game. And it appeared. It appeared. I thought it was a performance I wasn’t surprised by and I kind of told you guys as we go along here and based on the game plans and things like that but I thought it was a very big in the right direction. direction for Dallas (Turner) and one that I think will build.”

Cam Akers, RB2

Coming into camp, it looked like the Vikings might use Ty Chandler as part of a duo, but that never materialized and Chandler ended up with just 12 carries in Week 2 outside of the game against the Jets in which Aaron Jones was injured. Akers was acquired on October 15th and got his first shot at the RB2 spot on Sunday night. The trade paid instant dividends as he stole three runs of 10 yards or more. He seems to break up with Jones more often.

“That’s what somebody I always wanted to follow did to get here,” O’Connell said. “Because I think he’s a guy who can watch the game and see how we’re defending, see what certain runs look like either on the tablet or in real time, and then go out there and adjust on the fly…I thought Cam’s impact was one that not only gave Aaron a breather so he could be strong down the stretch, but he was just impactful as just a guy who steps up in a bunch.”

Harrison Phillips and the run defense

Jonathan Taylor never got a chance to fight against the Vikings. The star running back gained just 48 yards on 13 carries and the Vikings gave up an average of just 3.6 yards per total carry. At the center of the run-stopping effort was Harrison Phillips. He played 31 snaps while Brian Flores switched defensive players more than in previous weeks, but was dominant on the field. Phillips was the top defender on the field at 83.2 and had three run stops.

The Vikings’ tackling effort was excellent. They were credited with just three missed tackles. It was clear that the extra rest came in handy compared to the quick turnover they faced against the Rams.

Turnovers and sacks

It’s hard to rack up 415 yards and gain 29 first downs and still only score 21 points. Two missed field goals played a role in the scoring deficit, but it was mostly caused by big killing mistakes. Here are some examples:

— The Vikings gained 60 yards in 11 plays to open the game before Darnold threw a ball in traffic that was picked up in the end zone to end a scoring drive.

— After converting a third-and-16 on a Jordan Addison throw, they had the ball at the Indy 47-yard line, but Darnold was sacked and the ball was returned for a touchdown.

— Down 7-0 late in the first half, the Vikings’ drive was capped by a 12-yard sack that pushed them from inside the Indy 10-yard line to third-and-20 at the 21-yard line. The drive ended with a missed field goal.

— After back-to-back touchdowns to start the second half, Darnold didn’t see an open Addison and failed to get the ball to Jefferson downfield, resulting in an interception that kept the door open for Indy.

– With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter and down 14-10, the Vikings had another chance to close the game, but Darnold had an 8-yard sack, moving them back from the Indy 40-yard line to midfield .

Center, left guard pass blocking

Overall, it was a good game for the Vikings in pass protection with Darnold only under duress at 13 drop-backs vs. 26 from a clean pocket. But Blake Brandel and Garrett Bradbury combined to allow seven pressures between them. After a great start to the season, Brandel has had some tough games over the past two weeks, combining for nine snaps against the Rams and Colts.

Bradbury had the low light of the night when he was hit by Grover Stewart. However, upon further review, he stepped on guard Ed Ingram’s leg, causing him to fall and leading to Stewart’s sack. Still, Bradbury is ranked 27th as a pass blocker under center this year (out of 30).

The game on the screen

Where did the game go on the screen? In recent weeks, the Vikings have struggled to get back on track with their passing game behind the line of scrimmage. Against the Colts they attempted eight screens and gained six yards. One of them called for Addison to block, which he failed to do, and others went so poorly that Darnold had to throw the ball to the ground.

On the season, Darnold is averaging just 4.8 yards per attempt behind the line of scrimmage. He needs to improve to get easier wins.

Kicker, long snapper wounds

The Vikings came out of the game healthy except on special teams. Will Reichard missed two shots while clearly battling an injury in the fourth. He is rated. Asked if he would waste time, O’Connell said:

“We’re still working on it, but it looks like this. I don’t want to get too far ahead of things before I know exactly what route we’re going to take, but it’s definitely something we’re considering right now.”

Long snapper Andrew DePaola suffered a hand injury that will require surgery and keep him out for several weeks. The Vikings will very likely need to bring in a kicker and long snapper to fill the roles. Both players have been incredibly reliable this year and now there is uncertainty at the position.

The referees, again

For the third time in the last four weeks, Darnold took a hit to the head that didn’t draw a flag. O’Connell’s frustration was clear when he spoke on Monday.

“It’s part of my conversation, especially recently,” he said. “In the 90-minute meetings leading up to the matches, I will continue to seek as much clarity as possible so that I know how to coach our team and players. I know what the rule is. I know the language of the rule. And my opinion on what happened last night on that play, or maybe a play 10 days before, really doesn’t matter. I’m learning that very quickly.”