With a win over the Atlanta Falcons this past weekend, the Minnesota Vikings improved their 2024 record to an impressive 11-2, and they are one step closer to securing a spot in the playoffs.

If you don’t want to pay attention to other games and rely on other teams for assistance, the simplest answer for Minnesota to make the playoffs is to win on Monday night. A win on Monday night against the Chicago Bears will lock up a place in the postseason for the Vikings, and the team still has a shot at winning the division being down 1 game to Detroit.

1. Pick up the blitz betterIn recent weeks, teams have begun blitzing more often against Minnesota, and the Vikings are failing to pick it up. The Falcons threw in an extra rusher on defense with linebacker Kaden Elliss last week, and it seemed as though he was wrecking every play.

If teams are starting to pick up on the fact that Minnesota struggles against the blitz, the Vikings offense needs to figure out how to fix that problem and do it before the playoffs begin.

Is the answer to play fullback C.J. Ham more? Maybe put tight end Josh Oliver in the backfield for some extra protection? Whatever the Vikings can think of, they need to find a solution.

While Atlanta has improved its sack total recently, they were still easily at the bottom of the league in that regard heading into Week 14, and they continuously got to Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold all game long.

The Vikings are lucky that Darnold was able to maneuver out of hits a few times, but they can’t rely on that to happen every play.

2. Give CBs more help over topMinnesota’s secondary got a little burnt this past weekend when they faced off against a familiar face in Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.

On the positive side, the Vikings didn’t allow Cousins to throw any touchdowns, and he also threw two interceptions on the day. On the negative side, Minnesota’s secondary got burned a handful of times for big plays, and Cousins ended the contest with over 340 passing yards.

Multiple times in the matchup, the Falcons passing offense was able to complete passes over 20 yards, showing that the Vikings may have some holes in their deep pass coverage.

What saved Minnesota from these big chunk plays was Atlanta’s inability to get out of their own way, as they had a myriad of penalties that set their offense back and dug them into big holes.

The Vikings will need to figure a way out to stop the big chunk pass plays before Week 15, as they can’t count on the opposing team to shoot themselves in the foot as often as the Falcons did to offset those big plays.

3. Ramp up Jamin Davis and Dallas Turner’s snapsMinnesota rookie linebacker Dallas Turner seems to take a step forward every week, and the game against Atlanta was no different. Turner has shown at times this year why he was drafted in the first round by the Vikings, but his limited amount of snaps leaves a lot to be desired from the promising young player.

On the same side of the ball, newly signed linebacker Jamin Davis, a former first-round pick himself, should earn some extra playing time moving forward after his impressive first game with Minnesota in Week 14.

If the Vikings want to add some juice to their pass rush, Davis and Turner seem to be the perfect duo for the job. Davis may be a godsend for Minnesota after the team signed him following an injury to Ivan Pace Jr, as he profiles as a player who could fit that mold perfectly, with much-added size.

With the recent injury to Pat Jones II, this should be the time for Turner to get extended playing time with the Vikings and show off his immense talent.

Davis and Turner are 25 and 21, respectively, and they have the explosive traits that fit perfectly in a Brian Flores-led defense. Now, with more time under their belts, Minnesota needs to unleash the young linebackers and let them add a spark to a pass rush that is starting to slow down.