This season they rank just 25th in the league in preventing touchdowns in the red zone, allowing 67.9% of red zone opportunities to become touchdowns.
And while they still do relatively well on 3rd downs- ranked 8th in the league at 37.1%, they haven’t fared as well in the red zone. Overall, the Vikings defense is bottom third in both points and yards allowed, ranking 22nd and 28th respectively. The Vikings Defense is the Weakest Unit on the Team They rank second in yards per carry before contact (1.9) and are fortunate there aren’t too many teams wanting to lean on the run game as their primary objective. No team is allowing a higher average per rush than the 4.8 yards per attempt the Vikings are giving up. The Vikings are getting solid results, but the players they brought in to solve their run defense issues haven’t been getting the job done - both through on-field play and absences due to injury. Their top 4 run defenders play either safety or cornerback. Their overall team run defense grade by PFF ranks just 19th, and their team run stop win rate ranks last at 26% according to ESPN Analytics and Next Gen Stats. If the Vikings run game has declined some this year, their run defense has too - or at least compared to 2019 when the defense was relatively healthy.Īs it stands today, the Vikings are second-worst in the league in yards per carry allowed, at 4.8. The Vikings Are Even Worse Defending the Run They rank just 19th in team run blocking grade, and of the top 5 PFF graded run blockers on the team, 3 of them are wide receivers. What’s more, they don’t run the ball a lot either- ranking only 14th in rush attempts on the season.Īdditionally, in terms of run blocking, the Vikings aren’t really showing much either. But overall, I’m not sure the Vikings are scaring too many opponents with their run game this year. Alexander Mattison hasn’t looked any better, although like Cook he can put together a pretty amazing run here and there. He’s not quite as explosive and elusive as he once was, although he can still make a lot of defenders miss. Dalvin still has his moments, but he looks like some of the wear and tear is beginning to catch up with him. He’s currently ranked 44th out of 63 RBs according to PFF, and the Vikings team run grade ranks a lousy 27th in the league.
They’re 14th in attempts, 11th in yards, and 31st in rushing TDs.ĭalvin Cook used to be one of the highest graded backs in the league, but this year he’s not even close. The Vikings have averaged just 4.3 yards per carry this season, which ranks 15th. Whether AP or Dalvin Cook, the Vikings made a point of being able to run the ball well. The Vikings Aren’t That Great a Running Team So Far This YearĮver since Adrian Peterson, who was just released by the Titans and may be looking at the end of his career, the Vikings have been able to run the ball well. Here are a few notable insights, along with a look into the rest of the season. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.After ten games, all of them close, there are some interesting trends and insights emerging from this Vikings team that seem to break with past editions in the Mike Zimmer era. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.