As the Vikings approached the trade deadline, they’d already weathered quite a storm. They battled back to .500 after an abysmal 1-4 start. They lost Justin Jefferson, the best receiver in the NFL, and then had their rookie stud Jordan Addison ball out like a future offensive ROTY candidate. And now Kirk Cousins injured his Achilles in the middle of one of the best years he’s played in purple.
Still, this team didn’t mail it in. They stood strong. They see a chance to compete in a sloppy NFC North, and to do so on the back of a lot of the team’s young talent. And all eyes should be on Addison and his new quarterback Jaren Hall this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. If the Vikings win this week, it will likely be in large part due to their complementary skillsets.
Hall has a legit NFL arm and a knack for making big plays under pressure. “The Mormon Missile” excels making plays out of structure, and he’s always looking for the big play downfield. Hall is a plus-athlete with great poise under pressure.
He was a really exciting player at BYU, and there’s a reason this staff drafted him and was even comfortable with him being Cousins’ backup last week against the Green Bay Packers. He’s a mature player for a 25-year-old rookie and a nice scheme fit for all of the bootlegs and pocket movements this staff loves to do off play action. But what should make us most excited is that above all else in his career, he’s been aggressive.
Everyone’s highlight film makes them look good, but the clip below shows countless examples of Hall taking multiple tough shots down the field to his receivers.
Now combine that natural ability to sail deep balls accurately past defenders with one of the best young deep threats in the league. Addison has been a home-run draft pick by this Vikings front office so far, and he’s especially shined on big-shot downfield plays.
Addison has seven touchdowns already this season, nearly 500 yards, and is averaging an impressive 13.4 yards per reception. He’s been a perfect fit for the variety of formations and pre-snap motions Kevin O’Connell has drawn up this year to enable him a free release and room to work downfield. Addison is a subtle assassin as a route runner and has been excellent at manipulating downfield defenders. He’s shown that if he can find a way around an opponent’s initial press, he’s gonna find a way to leave them in the dust.
The Falcons’ defense has been bottom five in the league in both passing yards allowed and sacks. Therefore, Sunday’s game could be a nice on-ramp to get this pair of rookies rolling early and often. We just watched another rookie in Will Levis torch Atlanta’s secondary for four touchdowns in his NFL debut, and that’s with a Tennessee Titans offense that’s been considerably worse than Minnesota’s for most of the year.
Jordan Addison may draw a plus-defender like A.J. Terrell or Jessie Bates, but O’Connell has shown he has the ability to dictate matchups he wants through motion and formation. And if he’s one-on-one against anyone else in Atlanta’s secondary, then Hall needs to let it loose and not think twice.
There’s a lot of pressure on Jaren Hall this Sunday, and also a tremendous opportunity. With the Vikings trading for Arizona’s Josh Dobbs this week at the deadline, Hall enters this week with competition behind him on the depth chart. But if he proves he can keep the offense functioning and continue Addison’s rise to prominence, then he could earn more opportunities to prove himself as this wild season rolls along.
