4 Vikings most to blame for the team's disastrous 1-4 start

The Vikings season may already be over after the team's ugly 1-4 start. Here are the four players who deserve the most blame in Minnesota.

Oct 8, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws a / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

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2. Dean Lowry

The Vikings pried Lowry away from the Packers this offseason in hopes that he could help boost their run defense from the defensive end position. Instead, he's been one of the least productive defensive linemen in the NFL through five games.

Defensive ends playing in three-man fronts are never going to rack up tackles, but Lowry only has two solo stops to his name on the campaign. Combine that with his PFF average of 44 and it's easy to see just how poor he's been as a starter.

Unless Minnesota wants to flip rookie Jacqueiln Roy to the other side of the formation they may be forced to continue on with Lowry as the starter. There just isn't another reasonable option available on the current roster. It's also highly unlikely that Minnesota will be looking to add help via a trade given their current record.

One thing the Vikings' defense might try to help Lowry would be to line him up on the inside in more conventional four-man fronts on clear passing downs. That might help give him a bit more confidence when rushing the passer. He's not going to develop into anything more than an average starter but that would be a major improvement compared to his early season play.

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