What are the keys for the Vikings' offense in Week 5?

The Minnesota Vikings are 4-0 because of their elite defense and special teams. Unfortunately, the offense has yet to get going, ranking 31st in total yards and becoming the first team since the 1923 Chicago Cardinals to win its first four games despite multiple games without scoring a touchdown.

Is this the week Kevin O’Connell’s offense finds its footing? They travel to New Orleans to face a Saints defense that has allowed more points than any other team in the league. On top of that, New Orleans is dealing with injuries across its defense.

The Vikings have their own injury issues on offense, but they still have talent on that side of the ball. Questions linger about whether Kyler Murray can fit into O’Connell’s system. We may have seen a glimpse of him settling in during the fourth quarter last week against the Dolphins, but can he build on that?

Here are three keys to victory for the Vikings’ offense on Sunday.

3 Keys for the Vikings’ offense against the Saints in Week 5

Minimize pre-snap penalties

Minnesota’s offense committed four pre-snap penalties within the first 20 minutes of game time last week, putting them behind the sticks. Some kept the Vikings out of field goal range; others forced them to settle for field goals. Either way, early penalties seemed to be a recurring theme from players and coaches this week. With the offense trying to find any sliver of momentum, avoidable penalties like false starts and illegal formations just compound the difficulty.

Maybe the team will emphasize silent counts now that they’re on the road, instead of at home, where hard counts carry with the quieter crowd. No matter how they do it, the Vikings have to be better on offense, and that starts before the ball is even snapped.

Run the ball, a lot

This feels like the game plan my coaches gave us in Pop Warner football. Minnesota has been committed to running the ball this year, doing so at a 48.5% rate. They have a chance to find a lot of success against a New Orleans defense that has the second-worst EPA/rush allowed in the league and the fourth-worst stuff rate, per Next Gen Stats.

LB Kaden Ellis, one of the Saints’ better defenders, has been ruled out of this game. His seven stops are still tied for sixth on the team. Second-year LB Danny Stutsman replaces him and has a 54.8 PFF run-defense grade, ranking 62nd out of 73 linebackers.

Excluding kneel-downs, the Vikings ran the ball 28 times for 133 yards on Sunday. They broke off a season-high three runs of 10+ yards. This ground game could become more explosive when Jordan Mason returns after the bye week, but it will be the Aaron Jones show once again, as he’s run the ball 60 times for 257 yards over the past three games.

Spread the ball around

I might be praying for this one. No other receiver besides Justin Jefferson caught a pass in Week 1. Addison caught two passes for 21 yards in Week 2, while Jefferson caught three passes for 55 yards. After Jefferson left Week 3 early, Addison caught five passes for 90 yards, and Jauan Jennings was the only other wideout to catch a pass, for just one yard.

Last week was the T.J. Hockenson show, as he caught 13 passes for 119 yards. Addison caught four passes for 52 yards, but Jones was the only other player with multiple receptions.

With Jefferson possibly set to return on Sunday, it would be nice to see Murray not only get the ball to him but also take advantage of the holes in coverage across the field. No one has thrown for fewer yards than Minnesota this year. The Saints are 14th in passing yards allowed but 28th in EPA/pass allowed. With injuries, scheme, and talent hindering New Orleans, this would be the perfect time for the Vikings to get the passing game on track for the first time in almost a year.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: What are the keys for the Vikings’ offense in Week 5?