Everything that went right and wrong for the Vikings vs. Seattle
The Vikings escaped Seattle with a win, driving by QB1 and WR1
By Matthew Coller
EAGAN — The Minnesota Vikings left Lumen Field in Seattle with a victory after a shining late-game drive from Sam Darnold and clutch defense to close things out. Let’s take a closer look at what right and wrong in the game…
What went right
Darnold and Jefferson’s chemistry
When Sam Darnold targeted Justin Jefferson against the Seahawks, he went 10-for-12 with 144 yards, two touchdowns and a 156.3 QB rating. When he targeted everyone else, Darnold went 12-for-20 with 102 yards and one touchdown.
Jefferson’s best game of the year in terms of yards and receptions was fueled by the QB and WR1 being on the same page on multiple occasions, including the game-winning touchdown.
Since Jefferson was slowed down against Chicago several weeks ago, the star receiver has averaged eight catches for 132 yards per game and has scored five touchdowns. It seems that he and Darnold have taken another step forward in terms of their chemistry
“I would like to think it's time on task and the work that gets put in throughout the week and after practice and the conversation and dialogue as Sam's gotten more comfortable. Whether it's a Saturday morning meeting or a Thursday… the dialogue between those guys that has grown,” O’Connell said. “And I think Justin's just overall football intelligence… over three years of being defended so many different ways…he's seen it all at this point.”
With two games remaining, Jefferson has again displayed mind-blowing consistency. He has 92 receptions for 1,387 yards and 10 touchdowns and has caught 60% of contested catch opportunities (per PFF). Darnold has a 111.1 rating when throwing his way, which is right on par with his career mark.
The short passing game (again)
For several weeks, Darnold has displayed strong patience by throwing underneath effectively rather than always hunting deep shots. When attempting passes under 10 yards, he completed 17-of-23 for 135 yards and two of the incompletions were marked down as drops.
PFF grades Darnold as the NFL’s third best passer on throws between 0-9 yards through the air this season — a sign that he is “playing point guard” at a very high level.
Guard play, Brian O’Neill
It may have felt like Darnold was under pressure often because several of his biggest plays came when he had to move in the pocket but PFF only charted 13 pressured drop-backs vs. 27 clean-pocket attempts. In particular the guards stood out, combining to allow just three of those pressures. Dalton Risner, who has been a revelation in pass protection at guard, scored an 80.0 PFF pass blocking grade with one pressure allowed and Blake Brandel had a middling 56.6 grade but only gave up two pressures.
Brian O’Neill posted another shutout. Zero hurries, zero QB hits, zero sacks. That’s the sixth time he has done that this year.
The replacements on defense
The Vikings used 16 players on defense for at least 16 snaps in Sunday’s victory. Among the role players that mixed in was safety Theo Jackson, who intercepted Geno Smith’s throw on the final drive of the game to seal the victory.
“I think we've seen that all across the board on our team this year,” O’Connell said. “A lot of those guys getting elevated, stepping in, playing and doing some really good things in all three phases. Theo, you remember going back, I felt like every day at the podium and training camp, Theo had made another play and he got his hands on another ball, and he had maybe one of the best off-seasons out of anybody on our team. So to see him go in there and not miss a beat and make a play to put it away, I wasn't surprised.”
Other standout performances by non-starters included:
— Safety Bobby McCain taking Harrison Smith and playing 37 snaps.
— Dallas Turner grabbing an interception. He was targeted four times in coverage and the Seahawks only gained 17 total yards on those throws.
— Outside linebacker Patrick Jones picked up four QB pressures.
— Jihad Ward playing 51 total snaps and registering four pressures.
— Levi Drake Rodriguez playing seven snaps and getting a tackle and tip
Andrew Van Ginkel and the pass rush
The Vikings star outside linebacker had his best game of the season as a pash rusher, picking up 7 QB pressures and two sacks. He has 45 pressures and 11 sacks (career high) on the season. He also dropped back in coverage on 11 snaps and only allowed five yards into his coverage.
Van Ginkel was among a group of key players who bothered Geno Smith. Josh Metellus had four pressures on nine pass rush attempts, Jonathan Greenard added three more and Blake Cashman added two more.
Getting healthier
Stephon Gilmore returned after missing several weeks with a hamstring injury and had ups and downs vs. Seattle’s excellent receivers. He was in coverage for a DK Metcalf touchdown and was penalized for interference. But the veteran corner only allowed two receptions in six targets.
While Harrison Smith missed the game in Seattle, O’Connell said that he expects to play against Green Bay. Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.’s window to come off injured reserve will be opened as he looks to return this week after a hamstring injury.
The kicking game
Kicker Will Reichard went 3-for-3, including a 52-yarder. He also made all three of his extra points as he continued to look sharp in his comeback from a midseason injury.
Ryan Wright had one of his best days punting of his career. He booted four of six attempts inside the 20-yard line while averaging 50.0 yards per punt.
The subtle Trent Sherfield things
The Vikings have found quite a role player in Sherfield. He graded a 92.9 as a run blocker and was the highest graded special teams player as a gunner, including a key tackle.
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