3 Vikings who need to be benched or fired before Week 3
By Josh Wilson
RB Alexander Mattison
Don't worry, y'all. This one appears to be en route to happening, anyway. The Vikings completed a trade for Cam Akers on Wednesday night which paves the way for Alexander Mattison to get far fewer snaps, a necessary adjustment.
So far in 2023, the Vikings have amassed just 69 yards on the ground, a league-low. Along with that they have the third-worst yards per carry. Their longest run has been nine yards.
As detailed on the previous slide, the offensive line has to take some of the blame here as well. Trouble with the pocket and an abysmal run game happening simultaneously is indicative of line issues. But the Vikings' production out of the run game can't all be attributed to blocking. Mattison has to shoulder some, too.
Mattison is putting up a career-worst 3.3 yards per attempt. Compared to last season, Mattison's attempts increased by 116 percent, but his yards per game have increased by just 86.7 percent. The production has simply not paced with the increased opportunity.
Recall, the Vikings cut ties with Dalvin Cook this offseason, and never really backfilled his role on the roster. With Akers now in the fold, Mattison will relegate to an RB2 role that better suits his abilities.