The Vikings Have A BIG Kevin O'Connell Problem...

The Vikings' offense struggled badly against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was Kyler Murray really the biggest problem? Tyler Forness goes through the film from Minnesota's 23-16 win over Tampa Bay and explains why the answer isn't as simple as blaming the Vikings' new quarterback. Murray finished 15-of-29 for 168 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but the bigger issue was what Tampa Bay's defense was able to take away from Minnesota's offense. Todd Bowles devised a plan designed to contain Murray in the pocket, using the Buccaneers' edge defenders to keep him from escaping while creating pressure primarily from the interior. That prevented Murray from using one of the biggest strengths of his game — creating outside of structure with his legs. The Vikings also struggled to adjust once Tampa Bay changed the way it defended Minnesota in the second half. Jordan Addison had a strong game, catching five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown, and Minnesota found success early attacking Tampa Bay's Cover 3 looks. But as the game progressed, the Buccaneers' linebackers began playing with more depth and the Vikings struggled to create the underneath opportunities that could have forced those defenders to move forward. That's where Tyler believes Kevin O'Connell deserves significant criticism. The Vikings continued trying to attack vertically instead of consistently using shallow crossers, mesh concepts and other underneath routes that could have created yards after catch opportunities and forced Tampa Bay's linebackers to adjust. There were also communication issues between Murray and his receivers, showing that the quarterback and the Vikings' skill players still have work to do developing chemistry inside O'Connell's offense. But Tyler's biggest takeaway is that Murray simply wasn't as bad as the box score suggests. There are things Murray needs to clean up. There were missed opportunities and miscommunications. But when a quarterback repeatedly has nowhere to throw the football, it's difficult to place the majority of the blame on him. The bigger question is whether O'Connell can adjust when opposing defenses successfully take away the Vikings' preferred concepts. Tyler breaks down the film, explains Todd Bowles' defensive plan, examines Kyler Murray's performance and looks at what Minnesota needs to fix offensively before the problems become bigger. Subscribe to A to Z Sports Minnesota Vikings for Vikings news, analysis, film breakdowns and reaction all season long. 0:00 Kyler Murray Wasn't Actually Bad 0:26 The Vikings' Offense Was Anemic 1:05 How Tampa Bay Contained Kyler 2:12 Todd Bowles' Defensive Plan 2:58 Jordan Addison Found Success 3:42 Kevin O'Connell Got Outcoached 4:25 Why Kyler Had Nowhere To Throw 5:23 Tampa's Linebackers Changed Everything 6:09 Murray Was Fine 7:27 O'Connell Failed To Adjust 8:38 The Vikings Need More From O'Connell 9:33 The Offense Has A HUGE Problem Make A to Z Sports your preferred source on Google: https://google.com/preferences/source... Play A to Z Sports Daily Games: https://atozsports.com/games For more VIKINGS coverage: https://atozsports.com/nfl/minnesota-... Facebook: Facebook: MinnesotaVikingsFans4Life Instagram: Instagram: atozsportsvikings Twitter/X: https://x.com/AtoZSportsNFL TikTok: TikTok: atozsportsvikings #MinnesotaVikings #Vikings #SKOL #KylerMurray #KevinOConnell #NFL