Minnesota Vikings under pressure as second half of NFL season unfolds. And with a defense that only allowed an average of 19.4 points per game, they now rank fifth in scoring allowed. A glaring issue remains: their struggle against the run. This has been a very difficult year for the team. That was most evident during their Week 2 contest against the Atlanta Falcons, as they allowed 218 rushing yards on 39 carries.
The Vikings’ new defensive coordinator, Brian Flores, is keenly aware of these hurdles. His approach doesn’t change, even when the team is down in games. In terms of calling plays differently when playing from behind, Flores said that did not change his approach.
We’ve created a bad bite of our takeaways in a single game, Flores stated, emphasizing the potential for improvement. “I think generally [good run defense is] the same thing.”
On the other side of the ball, the Vikings’ defense has similarly been affected by injuries. Inside linebacker Blake Cashman, who has missed four games with a hamstring injury, is on track to return this week, though. His presence would help to strengthen a unit that has been pushed around by the nation’s elite rushing attacks.
ESPN Analytics currently projects the Vikings to win only two of their remaining games as they face a daunting schedule. During the subsequent eight-week stretch, they now must go up against five of the league’s other top 10 teams. This challenge increases the pressure on the defense to step up their game.
The Vikings have allowed opponents an average time of possession of 31:04 per game, ranking among the worst in the league. Specifically, their defense has seen designed runs 46.3% of the time. That’s the highest rate in the league. On the surface, this statistic merely emphasizes their failure to defend against the run.
For comparison, the Vikings’ defense sees an average of just 29.2 rushing attempts/game. This number puts them high up among the lowest in the NFL at eighth fewest. This paradox stands to highlight the fact that they’ve faced less rushing attempts in total. The attempts that they do encounter are frequently far worse.
Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings’ head coach, knows how important offensive efficiency is. Based on those results, he understands the need to relieve some of the burden from his defense.
I think the defensive opportunities for turnovers will come, and they’ll come with us being efficient on offense and maintaining possessions and scoring some points,” O’Connell said. And then obviously just, you know, trying to allow those guys to play with a lead some, making teams a little bit more one-dimensional than being in these up and down type of games.
Last year, the Vikings set a league low by averaging 41.2 snaps on defense. Overall, their stingy defense helped them to a historic, 14-3 campaign. This year, they’re finding it difficult to achieve that success again in a wave of more intense competition.
And the Vikings, for their part, are preparing for their next court appearances. It will be their defensive performance that is the most important factor to reaching success! They need to clean up their run defense. Time management on the field will be key as they face a daunting schedule in front of them.
Leave a Reply