The Minnesota Vikings have the worst rushing offense in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season. They have managed to gain only 69 yards on 26 carries, averaging a paltry 2.7 yards per carry with zero rushing touchdowns.
Nearly all of those touches have gone to Alexander Mattison, who has gained 62 yards on 19 carries as the team’s new starting running back. Mattison had been excellent in the previous season when replacing Dalvin Cook in the lineup, but he has been unable to replicate that success thus far in 2023.
On top of the lack of production, Mattison has also had a fumbling problem. He put the ball on the ground twice against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football in Week 2, losing both. Luckily for him, one was overturned because of a penalty committed by Philadelphia.
Looking to shake things up in their backfield, the Vikings acquired running back Cam Akers from the Los Angeles Rams in a trade this week. Los Angeles was looking to move on from Akers one way or another, so Minnesota basically got him for free.
People are wondering how big of a role he will have, especially with how much Mattison has struggled. While speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said that the decision about who will start will be made by head coach Kevin O’Connell. He also added that just because Akers was acquired doesn’t mean they have lost confidence in Mattison to get the job done.
“But we haven’t lost confidence in Alex Mattison,” Phillips added. “I will say that. Unfortunately we’ve had a couple turnovers in the run game where we obviously need to clean that up. Everyone’s aware of that. But we still feel very strongly in Alex and [backup Ty Chandler] and those guys being able to go in and produce. We know we have to be better in the run game. A lot of that starts with us, and the players fundamentally. All those things we’ve addressed, and from what I saw [Wednesday] in the first practice, I think it will improve dramatically.” (H/T ESPN)
The Vikings better hope they see dramatic improvement or this season will be down the drain in no time. An 0-2 start is very difficult to bounce back from, but 0-3 will essentially eliminate you from the postseason before the calendar even turns to October.
Minnesota will be playing against another 0-2 team, the Los Angeles Chargers, in what will essentially be a playoff game for both teams. The winner will keep their hopes alive while the loser might as well start packing things up.
If the Vikings want to win this game, they will have to get the ground game going. Akers is expected to be available and his adjustment to the team shouldn’t take long as Minnesota’s offense is modeled after what Sean McVay is going in Los Angeles.
