Everyone expected the Minnesota Vikings’ offense to look vastly different in Kevin O’Connell‘s first game as head coach. The former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator moved wide receiver Justin Jefferson all over the field, a la Cooper Kupp, against the Green Bay Packers. Jefferson caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
Less anticipated was how much different the defense was going to look. Not only were the Vikings deploying a 3-4 defense for the first time since 1985, but they also added some new faces. Most prominent among these additions were nose tackle Harrison Phillips, a free agent from the Buffalo Bills, and outside linebacker/edge Za’Darius Smith, who spent the past three years in Green Bay. In a 3-4, we will consider Smith a down lineman on the defensive line.
The defense held its own, sacking Aaron Rodgers four times. Three of these were officially credited to the defensive line. However, the sack by inside linebacker Jordan Hicks appeared to be shared by four different linemen, including Smith. The defense held Rodgers and the Packers to a single score in the 23-7 victory.
In Week 2, the Vikings will face the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. Led by dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia built a 31-14 lead and beat the Detroit Lions 38-35. The Eagles racked up 214 rushing yards, including 90 by Hurts.
For as complete a game as the Vikings played against the Packers, Philadelphia’s rushing numbers are somewhat concerning. Minnesota played well against Green Bay, but their run defense had some issues. They allowed the Packers to pick up 111 yards on 18 rushes, a 6.2-yard average.
Of course, the Eagles’ rushing attack is vastly different than Green Bay’s. With Hurts’ running ability, Philadelphia can incorporate run-pass options (RPOs) into their ground game. The Vikings had issues containing outside runs and end-arounds against the Packers. They will need better discipline from their edge players such as Smith, Danielle Hunter, and D.J. Wonnum to prevent the Eagles from gauging them the way the Packers did.
The Vikings had some success against Green Bay’s ground game, though. Perhaps the most significant moment of the game came when they stuffed Packers running back A.J. Dillon at the goal line on fourth down. It was a similar scenario to the one in which Hurts and the Eagles scored their first touchdown of the day against Detroit.
But the Eagles’ passing game also played into their monstrous running day. Not only do their RPOs keep defenses on their heels, but Hurts was able to improvise many times and scramble for yardage.
In the clip above, Lions rookie Aiden Hutchinson crashes inside of Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata. With Detroit playing man coverage behind, Mailata flushes Hutchinson out of the play, allowing Hurts to break the pocket and pick up an easy first down.
Here, edge rusher Austin Bryant explodes off the line and gets past Mailata. However, with the rest of the defensive line stunting to their left, Mailata can get just enough of Bryant to enable Hurts to evade the rush and pick up a six-yard gain on first down.
While Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have Hurts’ mobility or even his own elusiveness from 10 years ago, the Vikings had much more disciplined rush lanes on Sunday.
Vikings defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson and linebacker Jordan Hicks set both edges, keeping Rodgers from escaping the pocket. But Smith was able to win his matchup with Packers right guard Jake Hanson on the inside. Rodgers had no choice but to eat the ball, forcing a fourth-down.
Out of Hurts’ 90 total rushing yards, 64 came from undesigned runs. These are plays that must be contained for Minnesota to stay on schedule. If the Vikings have to take a man out of coverage to spy Hurts, the Eagles will be able to do something that the Packers couldn’t: dictate the game.
The plays above aren’t the only instances in which the Lions got pressure on Hurts. According to Pro Football Focus, they pressured him 17 times on 42 dropbacks. However, they only sacked him once. The Vikings were more efficient in their pass rushing, getting their four sacks from 11 total pressures. One pressure (and frustration) also led to Rodgers throwing an interception to Harrison Smith at the end of the first half.
If the Vikings can force Hurts to beat them with his arm, they have a chance to leave Philadelphia with a victory. Hurts was 18/32 passing for 243 yards against the Lions. He didn’t throw any interceptions, but he also didn’t pass for any touchdowns either. Over the course of his entire career, Hurts has only connected on 58.8% of his passes. Taking away his ability to run and manipulate the pocket won’t be easy, but it is imperative.
Kevin O’Connell and his staff got off to a great start last Sunday against the Packers, but he faces a challenging task in a hostile environment on Monday Night Football this week. If the Vikings can stay as disciplined in attacking Philadelphia’s offense as they did against the Packers, they could be a surprise 2-0 team heading into Week 3.
