Last week, the Minnesota Vikings’ defense set the tone early against an explosive Arizona Cardinals passing attack. Za’Darius Smith registered three sacks against an injury-riddled offensive line while paying homage to Jared Allen by doing his iconic calf-roping celebration. Harrison Phillips also played a crucial role in Minnesota’s win over the Cardinals. He held Eno Benjamin to 22 yards rushing and registered the game-winning sack on Kyler Murray.
Phillips has been Minnesota’s best run-stuffer. Dalvin Tomlinson’s presence has also contributed to Phillips’ success in the run game. Minnesota has had the luxury of two premier defensive tackles occupying the interior of the defense, but that may not be the case next week. Tomlinson left the game against Arizona due to injury and did not return. While it appears that Tomlinson avoided a major injury, Kevin O’Connell said in a presser that he is considered “week to week” with a right calf injury.
With the likelihood of Tomlinson missing next week’s game increasing, the Vikings will rely on Phillips to set the tone against a Washington Commanders team built to run the football. Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson have been a solid one-two punch at running back, and J.D. McKissic has been heavily involved in the passing game.
In the picture above, notice how the Philadelphia Eagles are in 21 personnel (2 RBs, 1 TE) and have one RB on each side of Carson Wentz, who’s operating out of the shotgun. That’s something the Commanders did a lot of with Wentz under center and continue to do with Taylor Heinicke. One of the benefits of this is that it disguises which running back is getting the ball. Gibson and Robinson are equally capable of running and catching, so the Commanders can use this formation without the defense knowing who’s getting the ball pre-snap. Washington can also run play-action and WR screens out of this look, creating the illusion of complexity, as O’Connell would call it.
Washington also gets their receivers involved in the run game on a regular basis. In this video, the Commanders are in a Wildcat formation. Tight end Armani Rogers (No. 88) is in the shotgun. Running back Brian Robison (No. 8) is to Rogers’ right. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel (No. 10) is to Rogers’ left. Pay attention to the left side of the field. Heinicke (4), Terry McLaurin (No. 17), and Samuel (No. 10) are all to the left of Rogers. Since there are more players to the left of Rogers, that makes the left side of the field the strong side.
Traditionally, teams run toward the strong side because there are more blockers on that side of the field. Washington is trying to make the Green Bay Packers defense think they will hand the ball off to Robinson and have him run toward the strong side. Instead, they have Robinson (No. 8) be the lead blocker for Samuel (No. 10), who runs to the outside and gets the first down.
The Commanders aren’t what you’d typically consider to be a good team. They’re starting their backup quarterback behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines, and their offense is ranked 29th in the league, per PFF. Stat nerds may not be fond of this squad, but make no mistake, Ron Rivera’s teams bring a high level of intensity and will fight from beginning to end, regardless of the score. Just ask the Green Bay Packers, who gained a 14-3 lead on the Commanders in the second quarter, only for Washington to claw their way back and win.
To avoid an upset in Landover, the Vikings need to set the tone early and play with more intensity than the Commanders. Don’t let them take control of the game. The best way to do that is to take away what they do well, which is running the ball. That is why Harrison Phillips needs to set the tone early and put Washington in a position where Heinicke is forced to beat them through the air.
In 2017, the Vikings allowed the second-fewest rushing yards in the league. That doesn’t happen without Linval Joseph’s elite play. It didn’t matter who played three-technique next to him, “Big Goon” was a one-man battering ram who single-handedly prevented teams from being able to establish the run. Fast forward five years and the Vikings have the NFL’s best run defense. Minnesota needs Harrison Phillips to show why he’s called “Horrible Harry” and elevate the run defense, just like Linval did in his prime.
