Blake Cashman grew up in Eden Prairie and attended the University of Minnesota. However, because the New York Jets drafted him and spent his whole career in the AFC, he’d never played at US Bank stadium. On Sunday, he made the most of his first opportunity against the San Francisco 49ers, one of the NFL’s elite teams, in the Minnesota Vikings’ 23-17 upset.
When the Vikings brought in Cashman this offseason, his pass-coverage ability was the best part of his game. His athleticism and instincts made him a lethal player in coverage. A linebacker with coverage ability was a clear need for the Vikings because deficits at the position were a big part of the pass coverage falling apart over the final games of the 2023 season.
It immediately became clear that Cashman was an upgrade in that department against the 49ers. He was active in underneath zones, forcing tight-window throws and coming up with three big pass deflections, including one that led to an interception. Cashman also was all over the field, leading the Vikings with 13 tackles, including a well-earned sack and a tackle for loss.
I dove into the tape to watch Cashman’s game, focusing on the year-over-year improvements in Minnesota’s defense. Here’s what I found.
Coverage instincts confound purdy
A lot was made about Minnesota’s ability to confuse Brock Purdy in this game. After the game, he told Brian Flores, “The scheme is crazy.”
As one of several free-agent additions, Cashman has helped unlock Minnesota’s ability to play various coverages on the back end. Last year, the Vikings played mostly variations of Tampa 2 and Cover 3, with little Quarters, Cover 6, or man coverage.
This year, Minnesota’s approach has been much more varied. By my charting, they have 18 total Cover 1/Cover 2 man-coverage snaps, 6 Cover 0 snaps, 25 Cover 2 zone snaps, 20 Cover 3 snaps, 21 Quarters, and six Cover 6 snaps through two weeks. That variety, and especially the roughly even mix they’ve been able to play man, Cover 2, Cover 3, and Quarters, has kept opposing offenses guessing through two weeks.
The third quarter of the 49ers game is a great example. The Vikings didn’t run a single Quarters or Cover 6 snap in the first half against the 49ers. Then, they turned around and ran it almost exclusively in the third quarter. That halftime adjustment caught Purdy off guard, creating five sacks and two turnovers in nine dropbacks.
Minnesota’s increase in man coverage and Quarters usage is notable based on the personnel additions. Those coverages put more stress on your corners, which the Vikings upgraded this offseason. They also put more stress on underneath zones, particularly in Quarters, as the underneath defenders have to cover more grass.
That’s where Cashman excels, and his ability showed up immediately on San Franciso’s first drive. He made the tackle on the first two plays of the game to limit yards after the catch, then got a pass deflection on third down to force a punt. The pass deflection is a fantastic display of instincts and athleticism.
In the play below, Cashman is the “Rat” or “hole player” in the Vikings’ Cover 1 scheme. He is one of two players, along with the deep safety, Cam Bynum, who has zone responsibility while the other coverage defenders are in man. His zone is the middle of the field, or the “hole,” and his job is to help take away any short, in-breaking routes. If no one breaks inside, as is the case here, his job is to watch the QB’s eyes and try to find the football, which he does beautifully.
The concept the 49ers are running out of bunch plays out like Spacing, with two curl routes stressing the defense horizontally to the left. That’s better against zone than man because the receivers can find a hole in the zone, but you can win against man if you throw with anticipation to a receiver who wins his curl route one-on-one. Because it’s Cover 1 Rat, Purdy diagnoses that his furthest inside receiver, the No. 3, should be doubled by Cashman, leaving the No. 2 receiver, Deebo Samuel, one-on-one with Stephon Gilmore, and he trusts his guy to win his matchup.
Purdy doesn’t account for Cashman’s closing speed on this play. Cashman can read Purdy’s eyes, anticipate the throw, and get underneath the No. 2 for a pass deflection. From a defensive perspective, that’s exactly how it would play out on the whiteboard. However, it’s difficult to execute because few players have the instincts to anticipate this throw combined with the athleticism to cover it and make the play. Gilmore probably had this smothered anyway, but it was a brilliant play by Cashman.
The end-zone angle provides a great view of the burst Cashman has as he transitions from playing underneath the No. 3 receiver to diving to deflect the pass:
Cashman’s instincts and athleticism manifested again in the third quarter when he tipped a ball that led to an INT. In the play below, the Vikings are in Quarters coverage, and the 49ers run a deep, in-breaking combination that is well covered. Minnesota blitzes, and the Niners pick it up well, so there should be ample space to check down.
The Vikings only have two players, Cashman and Josh Metellus, in underneath coverage. However, Cashman is reading Purdy’s eyes the whole way and can drive on the pass, running from the right hash to the left hash to undercut the throw and tip it up in the air. After a tip drill, Metellus came down with the ball.
Notably, Purdy tried to do the right thing here and throw the ball on Kyle Juszczyk‘s back shoulder, away from Cashman. However, Cashman was so fast that he undercut the throw anyway.
The final play shows how Cashman tightens windows. It’s hard to tell the coverage, but I believe this play is a Cover 3 rep for the Vikings. Gilmore has a difficult job, as he needs to play outside leverage against the tight split, which leaves a window inside underneath Harrison Smith, the deep safety. The play for the defense really needs to come from underneath, and that is Cashman’s responsibility as the middle hook zone. Cashman reads this play well. He gets nice depth after respecting the play-action fake and finds the football for another pass deflection.
running down the ball carrier
Cashman was more than just a coverage player in this game. His athleticism allowed him to impact the run game and the QB.
One of the most critical plays Cashman made was on a 49ers fourth-and-1. He’s spying Purdy on the play below. Cashman starts on the line of scrimmage, threatening blitz, but then drops back into a zone to function as a spy watching the QB. As a gap in the line opens up, he fills that space and chases Purdy down before he can cross the line to gain. It’s a great open field tackle on a QB who has found success with his legs in big moments in the past.
The 49ers found success with a varied attack in the run game. However, the Vikings fought back with some nice defensive stops. The Niners have elite run designs, so fighting back with pivotal stops is about as much as you can ask from the defense. Cashman was a big part of three of those.
In the play below, Cashman does a great job of staying home against misdirection from the 49ers. Cashman beats the TE to his spot, going virtually unblocked and making the tackle for little gain in the red zone:
Below is another play where Cashman used his athleticism to help disrupt the play. The LG is trying to climb to block him on the second level, but Cashman is too fast. Jonathan Bullard and Pat Jones II ultimately make the play, but Cashman helped force the cutback.
Cashman isn’t the biggest player, and blockers will swallow him up occasionally. However, he’s willing to play with physicality, which can sometimes help overcome his smaller frame. In the play below, there is a wide hole with the pulling guard coming right through it. Cashman is willing to stick his nose in there and take on the guard, and this causes Mason to bounce the run outside, leading to a TFL and actually a forced fumble Gilmore. Cashman got his fourth-down stop of Purdy on the next play.
Cashman’s first sack of his Vikings career is the final highlight. The play below isn’t even really designed for him to get a sack. As a blitzer, he is the crasher on a stunt intended to free up Dallas Turner. The burst that allowed Cashman to make the pass deflections also showed up here, as he ran right by the LG, who was supposed to block him but never touched him. That allowed him to get a nice pick on LT Trent Williams, helping free up Turner. But because he was so fast, the LG was unable to push his momentum past Williams, and Cashman was able to come off of the pick and quickly get to Purdy for the sack.
conclusion
Blake Cashman balled out in his first home game with the Minnesota Vikings. He’s part of a group of personnel upgrades on defense that has helped unlock Brian Flores’ scheme and allowed the team to vary their coverages more effectively this year while still giving offenses crazy and misleading pre-snap presentations.
Cashman was all over the field. He made plays in coverage, the backfield, and the run game. Below is a compilation of his tackles, showing his range and consistency.
Let’s hope he can maintain this level of play for the rest of the season. If he does, Minnesota’s defense will be very, very good.
