After failing to exploit middling defenses in Chicago, Detroit and Washington, the Minnesota Vikings now face a much tougher test Sunday in the Arizona Cardinals, a unit that’s held opponents to fewer than 20 points each of the last three seasons.
Minnesota faced them last year with moderate success, scoring 20 points and generating 389 yards of offense in a close loss that was stained by three Vikings turnovers. But the offense was healthier then, complete with an offensive line that had been intact all season, Adrian Peterson in the backfield and the mobile Teddy Bridgewater, who dodged numerous sacks in the game.
Sunday afternoon, it will be virtually an entirely different offense facing the Cardinals. One of the holdovers, however, is Stefon Diggs, who, as a rookie, was held to just two receptions and 12 yards against stellar Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson. The final line wasn’t great for Diggs in one of his greatest tests of the season, but a closer look at the film reveals that Diggs probably fared better against Peterson than the statistics indicate, and there should be reason to think he can succeed on Sunday.
For one, Teddy Bridgewater errantly threw two passes to Diggs on short comeback routes near the sideline that could have been completions. If Diggs makes those grabs, he probably adds a mere 10-12 yards to his game, but four catches in seven targets looks better than two in seven. Diggs also drew a defensive holding call, which is like making a first-down grab.
The Vikings’ offense was still coordinated by Norv Turner at that time, as well, meaning Minnesota was more vertically-oriented in its patterns versus the current Pat Shurmur strategy of stretching the defense horizontally. There were many plays in the game last season like the one below in which Diggs would run long-developing routes he never completed because Bridgewater either had an easier throw underneath or felt pressure. In fairness, Peterson had Diggs blanketed on most of these deeper routes, but it may not have been the best way to utilize Diggs.
As adroitly pointed out by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, the Vikings’ average depth of target is around 5.5 yards since Turner departed, the league’s lowest. Diggs has been a beneficiary of the east-west passing attack with 26 catches at just 9.4 yards per reception in the last two games, though his performance against Washington saw double the amount of yardage as his Detroit outing thanks to some nice yards after catch.
Peterson, though, is still a tremendous football player that Pro Football Focus ranks as the 13th-best cornerback in the league this season. “We have to give healthy respect to Peterson,” Shurmur said Thursday. “He’s an outstanding football player, and I guess the challenge is then that everybody else has to do their part. And so, when we go into the game, we certainly keep in mind the matchups that we’re facing, but we also understand the strengths of our guys.”
The success of Minnesota’s second and third receiving options could be dependent on the health of one Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona’s jack-of-all-trades defensive back who can move from safety to slot within the course of a game, shutting down shifty receivers on one play, providing run support on another, blitzing on the next. He missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury but returned to practice on Wednesday. He is also still recovering from a torn ACL that ended his 2015 season and hopes to shed his knee brace in the near future.
“He’s a tremendous football player, and he has proven it at all levels”
“He’s a tremendous football player, and he has proven it at all levels,” Shurmur said. “When he’s in there, he can cover, certainly, but he’s a good blitzer. He’s an excellent tackler.”
Mathieu is routinely hovering around the line of scrimmage – rarely in the position of a traditional safety. In fact, there have been debates over whether Mathieu should be considered a cornerback when it comes to salary negotiations based on how often he lines up against slot receivers (akin to Jimmy Graham wanting to be designated as a wide receiver).
Take a look at Mathieu against the Vikings last season – two games before he hurt his knee.
So this is what Tyrann Mathieu can do when healthy (Part 1). #Vikings pic.twitter.com/dDodJHvl0q
— Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom) November 17, 2016
This is what Tyrann Mathieu can do when healthy (Part 2). pic.twitter.com/mmQYR4H4PC
— Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom) November 17, 2016
Mathieu is a beast against the run and is great at anticipating and/or snuffing out wide receiver screens. The catch is he hasn’t been the same this season, still less than a year after his ACL tear. But from one safety to the next, there is respect for what Mathieu is able to do when healthy. “I’ve seen him on film, he’s a playmaker wherever you put him, whether it’s safety or nickel or whatever,” said Vikings safety Harrison Smith. “Whether he’s blitzing or covering, he’s been making those plays since he was in college and continues to do those things.”
The Cardinals, like the Vikings, are desperate for a win on Sunday. Also like the Vikings, their defense may be closer to full strength with one or more injured players returning. In what’s likely to be a low-scoring affair, whichever defense holds most firmly may come away the victor.
