Vikings at Ravens Week 9 Final Thoughts

Here is what Eric Smith, Lindsey Young and Craig Peters of Vikings.com will be watching in Week 9:

Bounce back on 3rd down | By @Eric_L_Smith

Vikings Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak was asked Thursday about a woeful Vikings offensive performance against the Cowboys.

“Yeah, there’s plenty to unwrap there,” Kubiak noted.

That could be said about both sides of the ball, as both the Vikings offense and defense had their worst outings of the season on third downs in Week 8.

Minnesota’s offense converted just once in 13 tries on the down and didn’t move the chains on the final 12 tries after finding success on the first chance. That conversion percentage of 7.69 ranks as the lowest mark in Zimmer’s tenure. It is just the second time Minnesota’s offense has been held under 10 percent on third downs since his hire in 2014.

It’s safe to say moving the chains has been a point of emphasis all week for the Vikings offense.

“The No. 1 thing is were some plays to be made and we’ve got to make some contested plays,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got to be more aggressive on some plays, be more aggressive on some play calls. It’s a combination of guys making plays, us getting in better position as coaches.

“It’s something we’re making a bigger point of emphasis. It’s always a point of emphasis, third downs, but it’s disappointing to go out and get that first third down but not get one from there,” Kubiak added. “We’ve got to be better there.”

Zimmer added: “Their defense brings a lot of different looks on third down. We’re going to have to be diligent in the way we handle the protections.”

Defensively, the Vikings entered Week 8 with the league’s No. 1 defense on third downs, but allowed the Cowboys to convert on half of their 14 tries.

Zimmer knows his unit will need to be better prepared against the Ravens, who rank 23rd in the league on third downs with a success rate of 36.47 percent.

“This team will run the ball quite a bit on third down,” Zimmer said. “We’re going to have to do a great job in understanding situations. We can’t just play pass there.”