Following Week 3’s win at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Seattle Seahawks, the Minnesota Vikings’ first-year offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, was the recipient of national praise.
After spending the past two seasons serving as the quarterbacks coach for a Vikings offense that ranked 27th and 30th across the league in passing volume, most folks were unsure what to expect out of the 34-year-old Kubiak as he took over the OC vacated by his old man, Gary.
And after three weeks, Klint’s offense has opened plenty of eyes, currently ranking:
- Eighth in points – 87
- Third in total yards – 1,275
- Seventh in pass attempts – 120
- Seventh in passing yards – 891
- Fourth in passing touchdowns – 8
- First in interceptions thrown – 0
- Sixth in rushing yards – 384
Granted, the Vikings have opened the season against three opposing defenses that are far from elite. As a matter of fact, Pete Carroll’s Seahawks defense currently ranks dead last in the NFL in total yards allowed — Klint gashed Seattle for 453 yards in last week’s win, the Vikings’ highest yardage total of the season thus far.
And that’s where circumstances become considerably different for Klint and the Vikings’ offense in Week 4. Somewhat lost in all of the Kevin Stefanski homecoming hoopla is that the Cleveland Browns bring with them a defense that is among the best in the entire league.
Through three weeks, the Browns’ defense ranks:
- Seventh in points allowed – 60
- Third in yards allowed – 746
- Fourth in first downs allowed – 44
- Fifth in passing yards allowed – 545
- Fifth in rushing yards allowed – 201
To make matters worse for this week’s matchup, Stefanski’s offense is also a league leader, currently ranking:
- Ninth in points – 86
- Seventh in total yards – 1,230
- Second in rushing yards – 524
- First in rushing touchdowns – 8
- Third in average drive time – 3:24
Klint Kubiak and the Vikings’ offense will undoubtedly have their hands full on Sunday against the Browns, especially when you look at the matchup between Cleveland’s vaunted rushing attack and a Mike Zimmer run defense that currently ranks 20th.
After what we’ve seen so far this season — despite the additions of Dalvin Tomlinson and Michael Pierce — it’s difficult to envision a scenario where the Vikings’ defense effectively shuts down the Cleveland ground game led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
And for a matchup of this magnitude, Kubiak has every opportunity to not only officially put himself on the map, but to stake a case for this Vikings offense as whole.
Instead of trying to match strengths with Stefanski by playing ball control and keeping the Browns’ offense off the field with time-consuming drives spearheaded by the running game, it’s imperative that Kubiak remain aggressive with his play-calling on Sunday.
If Kirk Cousins and the Vikings’ offense can put some points on the board early in the game, Stefanski will be forced out of his comfort zone by putting the ball entirely in quarterback Baker Mayfield‘s hands. And, make no mistake about it, that is a recipe that Stefanski and the Browns want absolutely no part of. Eerily similar to the Vikings’ offense coordinated by Stefanski in 2019, the Browns are currently second to last in passing attempts.
If the past year and change has taught us anything about this Vikings team, it’s that the best defense is an even better offense. By forcing Cleveland to keep pace with the Vikings’ offense throughout the afternoon, Minnesota can set Danielle Hunter loose Mayfield — with the help of 73,000 screaming Skoldiers.
It’s a mighty big ask for a Vikings’ offense going against defensive ends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, but isn’t that exactly why you pay an elite quarterback (yeah, I said it) $150 million, for games like these?
If Klint Kubiak and the Vikings’ offense can be the catalyst for Minnesota turning their season around with a victory over an AFC heavyweight on Sunday, look out, because we might have ourselves one of the premier young, innovative offensive play-callers in the league today.
