The Minnesota Vikings played an unsual game in a 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Vikings didn’t register any points until Greg Joseph’s 1:57 mark in the fourth quarter, while the defense held steady against the Aidan O’Connell-led Raiders. It was ugly, but Minnesota improves to 7-6 on the season. Here are five quick takeaways from Sunday’s game.

Optimism: The secondary has came a long way

The Vikings young secondary held its own against a decent core of offensive skill position players, Devante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Michael Mayer, and Jakobi Meyers. Akayleb Evans has been solid in his second year, while Byron Murphy Jr. has been serviceable. The big play came as Josh Mettelus forced a fumble in the red zone, which rookie Mekhi Blackmon recovered.

Ivan Pace Jr. should win defensive rookie of the year

The man who put the icing on the cake for the Vikings seventh victory was undrafted rookie Ivan Pace Jr. The former Cincinnati Bearcat is exceeding all expectations as a UDFA. He tallied 13 total tackles, seven solo, while also collecting a sack. His late fourth quarter interception on O’Connell sealed a sensational performance for the middle linebacker.

.@ivan_pacejr you are an animal my friend

📺: @NFLonFOX

pic.twitter.com/k2aVpfRN0g

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 11, 2023

The Joshua Dobbs experiment is done

Let’s get straight to it: zero passing yards until the 11:53 mark in the second quarter perfectly encapsulated what the Vikings had at the quarterback position on Sunday afternoon. It started with the Denver Broncos game and has trickled down ever since, but the Joshua Dobbs magic has faded away, and quite frankly, he’s bounced around four teams in the past three seasons.

He displayed no pocket awareness or internal clock as he absorbed four sacks in the first half; luckily, Aidan O’Connell wasn’t any better. The accuracy and ball placement were nowhere to be found, and following the bye week, there has been no improvement from the former Tennessee Volunteer. Nick Mullens came in and saved the game for Minnesota and heading into next week, its a no-brainer that either Hall or Nick Mullens should start.

Justin Jefferson briefly showed why he is missed so much

Talk about making a quarterback better, Dobbs’ first two completions went to the man who had been missing for four games. He bailed Dobbs out on a third-down comeback route for the teams first completion. Shortly thereafter, he sacrificed his body by snagging and holding onto the ball for a first down. Unfortunately, the hospital ball thrown by Dobbs left Jefferson to exit the game. Jefferson had to be taken to the hospital, and hopefully it isn’t an injury that is too serious.

Justin Jefferson's filthy route-running is back…but he took a huge shot and is in the medical tent pic.twitter.com/dJqqHTUMEx

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) December 10, 2023

Needs in the offseason becoming more visible

Dobbs’s performance showed that the Vikings need to pursue a quarterback in this year’s upcoming draft, but the other needs are more eye-opening. Joseph, yes, kicked the game-winner, but missed his sixth kick that would have put the team up early in the first half. He’s now 18-24 on the season. Danielle Hunter is playing at a DPOY level, but no one else has been a game-changer along the defensive line.

A dark horse need for this team in the off-season could be wide receiver. K.J Osborn is likely gone in the offseason. Yes, the Vikings have both Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but there is no apparent depth behind those two. Jalen Nailor and Osborn both had crucial drops, which has plagued this team all season. Within the later rounds in the draft, getting a wide receiver should be a priority.

No-Mans Land

It’s clear that this team cannot make a serious run to the Super Bowl, which is the ultimate goal of making the playoffs. Is the defense, good? Yes, but the lack of good quarterback play makes this team not a serious contender. But, looking at the NFC Playoff picture, the Vikings will still likely find itself playing in the second week in January. The Detroit Lions looked awful against the Chicago Bears, and the Vikings have to play them twice while going to the Jake Browning-led Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers at home.