3 Takeaways from Vikings' Week 9 Win vs. Commanders
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AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.
The Minnesota Vikings entered Sunday aiming to start 7-1 for the fourth time since 1998. Each of the previous three times they had done so (1998, 2000 and 2009), they went on to reach the NFC Championship Game. So it's typically been a good indicator of future success.
There's still a lot of time left in the 2022 NFL season. But it wouldn't be too surprising to see the Vikings potentially playing for the NFC title again come January.
Minnesota came from behind to beat the Washington Commanders 20-17 on Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field. The Vikings have won six straight games to improve to 7-1, and their only loss came in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, who are currently the only undefeated team in the NFL at 8-0.
The Vikings trailed the Commanders 17-7 early in the fourth quarter, but they scored 13 unanswered points over the final 10 minutes and 46 seconds. Greg Joseph's 28-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining lifted Minnesota to victory.
Here are three takeaways from the Vikings' Week 9 win.
The Vikings Pounced on Opportunities in the 4th Quarter
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AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.
When the Commanders had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and started to make mistakes, the Vikings capitalized on them. That's a sign of a good team, as well as the ability to find ways to win these types of games.
Joseph's 25-yard field goal cut Washington's lead to 17-10 with 10:46 to go. Four plays later, Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke's misthrow was intercepted by Harrison Smith. And two plays after that, Minnesota tied the game on Kirk Cousins' 12-yard touchdown pass to Dalvin Cook with 7:46 remaining.
The Vikings' final drive (which ended with Joseph's game-winning FG) consisted of 15 plays over 6 minutes. But it wouldn't have been that long if the Commanders hadn't been called for unnecessary roughness on Joseph's initial attempt with 1:52 to go. That allowed Minnesota to run the clock all the way down to 12 seconds before taking the lead.
“We’re finding ways to win,” Cousins said, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. “We grind on and keep trying to pull them out in the end here.”
And as long as the Vikings continue to do that, their successful season will continue.
Hockenson Wasted No Time Adding to the Offense
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AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Cook and Justin Jefferson may have accounted for the Vikings' two touchdowns in the victory, but they weren't the only offensive playmakers to make an impact. There was also tight end T.J. Hockenson, who made his Minnesota debut after getting dealt from the Detroit Lions prior to last week's trade deadline.
Hockenson didn't have much time to learn the Vikings' playbook, but that didn't stop the 25-year-old from making some big plays. He had a team-high nine receptions for 70 yards, making Minnesota's passing attack even stronger than it already was.
"I was amazed how prepared he was to play," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said, per Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. "I think it's a testament to his work ethic, his ability to retain a lot of information."
Now that Hockenson will have more time to get acclimated to his new team, he may put up even bigger numbers in future games. He's shown in the past what he's capable of, and that's an exciting thing for Minnesota's offense moving forward.
The NFC North Title Could Be Won Quite Early This Year
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AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Everything has been going the Vikings' way in the NFC North race early in the season. Because of that, they've already jumped out to a big lead in the division. And it doesn't seem like a competitive battle will emerge anytime soon.
The Vikings are 7-1, well ahead of the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, who are both 3-6. The Detroit Lions won to improve to 2-6 on Sunday. But that helped Minnesota, too, considering Detroit's victory extended Green Bay's losing streak to five games.
The schedule gets a bit tougher in the upcoming weeks for the Vikings. Their next four matchups are against the Buffalo Bills (6-2), Dallas Cowboys (6-2), New England Patriots (5-4) and New York Jets (6-3). So Minnesota may need to play even better than it has been to keep its winning streak alive.
But if the Vikings keep rolling, it may not be long before they're wrapping up the NFC North title race. That will especially be the case if the other three teams in the division continue to struggle.
