A day after the Vikings' fifth loss in the past six games, coach Mike Zimmer pinpointed a critical issue that is simple to say but has been complicated for this current offense.
"I would agree that we need to score more," Zimmer said.
Just six offenses score fewer points than the Vikings' 19.8 per game, and of those teams, only the Texans (6-4) have a winning record. The Vikings (6-5) cling to hope after their hot start but continue to suffer through a battle of attrition, particularly along the offensive line.
Zimmer didn't have updates Friday on injured center Joe Berger (concussion) or right tackle Jeremiah Sirles (hip), but he assessed how a conservative offense needs to improve.
"When we've been successful on offense this year, because I just went back and checked all these things, our third-down conversion rate has been pretty good," Zimmer said. "We've got to make a point of emphasis on that."
The Vikings moved the chains on just two of 10 third-down attempts during Thursday's 16-13 loss to the Lions. Quarterback Sam Bradford got the ball out quick and rarely threw beyond the first-down markers behind a patchwork offensive line, leaning on his receivers to make plays after the catch.
Offensively, the Vikings achieved one goal in keeping Bradford upright while nearly abandoning the league's worst rushing attack. In a close game, Bradford took only three hits (no sacks) on 37 pass plays while handing the ball off just 16 times.
"Sometimes, some of these 3-yard throws are runs," Zimmer said. "We're trying to get a mixture of runs and throws in there, and we've got to do a better job on third downs obviously."
