Minnesota Vikings: Offense needs more from running game

If the Minnesota Vikings offense wants to reach the promised land, they’ll need far more from what’s been a completely stagnant running game.

Heading into 2018, the Minnesota Vikings were seen as one of the most potent offenses in the league. With Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph and Latavius Murray as returning starters from 2017, the addition of Kirk Cousins and return of Dalvin Cook were seen as the missing parts to an already stellar offense.

But three games into 2018, the Vikings offense has been a roller coaster of surprises. Through the first two games, the passing game looked poised for a fantastic year. In fact, they’re currently averaging 305.7 passing yards per game, good for fourth-best in the NFL.

Then, last week against the Buffalo Bills, everything came crashing down. In the midst of it all, however, one thing has been completely absent the entire time: the running game.

The Vikings are currently averaging a meager 66 rushing yards per game, which ranks 31st in the NFL. A perfect slew of obstacles has caused the running game to become stagnant, but some of it has been a product of the offense getting in it’s own way.

MUST READ: NFL picks, score predictions for Week 4

A big reason for the struggles has been the absence of Dalvin Cook, who injured his hamstring in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. Subsequently, Minnesota only ran six running plays in Week 3 against the Bills. Essentially, the offense couldn’t get anything going, got down to a huge deficit early in the game, and thus were forced to exclusively throw on nearly every play in the second half in an attempt to come from behind.

The final issue has been the play of the offensive line. Through the first three weeks, Pro Football Focus ranks the Vikings offensive line as the 27th-best in the entire league. Left tackle Riley Reiff and has taken a substantial step back from last season, while the interior of the O-line is clearly missing the presence Nick Easton and Pat Elflein.

The Vikings face their biggest test of the season so far against the Los Angeles Rams Thursday night, which boasts arguably the best defensive duo in the NFL in Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald. With Dalvin Cook officially being listed as questionable, it could be another rough outing for the ground game.