Five Extra Points: Plenty of reasons for Vikings' 2023 failings

Edge rusher Marcus Davenport was an injury-prone underachiever when General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gave him $13 million for 2023. Sixteen free agents got deals averaging at least that much. The other 15 were averaging 746 snaps and 15 games played entering Week 18. Davenport played 118 snaps in four games, underachieving and landing on injured reserve long ago. A cap-strapped team needed a shrewd signing for Brian Flores' pressure-based defense. Davenport's salary matched that of Green Bay's Preston Smith, who entered Week 18 with eight sacks, 696 snaps and 16 starts. Meanwhile, former Viking Za'Darius Smith, traded to Cleveland, entered Week 18 with 16 starts for a playoff team. His salary: $11.7 million.

Coach Kevin O'Connell's No. 1 offseason priority was a more efficient running game. He whiffed. Big time. The Vikings' seven rushing touchdowns tied 1996 and 1962 for the fewest in a nonstrike year in franchise history. Their 393 carries were the seventh fewest, their 1,553 yards the eighth fewest and their 3.95 average the fourth worst since 1997. O'Connell overestimated Alexander Mattison's value as a first-year starter and took way too long to move Ty Chandler to lead back. With a 5.8-yard average on 12 carries Sunday, Chandler finished with a 4.5 average but only 102 carries, 53 of them in the last four games, his only starts of the season.

Strength at the line of scrimmage separates Detroit from Minnesota. The Lions finished top five in passing and rushing for the first time since winning their last NFL title in 1957. They swept the Vikings for the first time since 2016 while controlling both games with their offensive line. Detroit is the only NFL team to rank top five in passing, rushing, total offense, scoring and fewest sacks allowed. The Lions ran for 27 touchdowns, passed for 30 and have the league's 10th youngest roster coached by a swashbuckler (Dan Campbell) who has successfully gone for it on fourth down in 10 of his last 12 tries against the Vikings.

Mercifully, the final numbers are in for one of the sloppiest turnover-filled efforts in team history. The differential of minus-12 ties 2013 — the year Leslie Frazier was fired — for fifth worst. The 34 turnovers are the most since 37 in 2010 — the year Brad Childress was fired. Yes, Flores' defense fell from the top five in points allowed through 13 games to the bottom four in the last four games. But this defense played well enough overall to help this team reach the playoffs. The offense threw it away. Literally. The defense allowed the fewest points (362) since 2019 but did have fewer takeaways (25-22) than demonized Ed Donatell's one-and-done 2022 season.

O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah's jobs are safe for 2024, as they should be. They'd be wise, however, not to feel too comfortable. This is, after all, a 32-team league that's made 34 coaching changes since 2020 and will add to that list — perhaps even Bill Belichick himself — come Black Monday. Kirk Cousins' injury buys some sympathy but can't excuse away all that ailed this team as one of the league's bigger disappointments. Remember, Cousins was 4-4 with nine turnovers. No team fell harder in 2023 than the Vikings. Their six-win drop-off was the worst in the league. The Panthers and Chargers — who fired coaches in-season — had five-win drop-offs.

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.