Everything that went right and wrong in the Vikings' win over the Bears
A look at the data and film from Game 1
By Matthew Coller
Normally here at Purple Insider Industries, every game day is followed by two staple pieces: The “everything that went right and wrong” article breaking down KOC’s Monday afternoon comments and PFF data and grades and the other looking at the All-22 film. But with Monday Night Football forcing a short week, I’ve combined the two pieces. KOC didn’t talk today but we have the data/grades and the film, so let’s dive in…
What went right
McCarthy’s handful of intermediate throws and only one TWP
When you only throw 20 passes in a game, there isn’t much to work with in terms of drawing conclusions but McCarthy’s best passes almost entirely fell in the intermediate range (between 10-20 yards). He went 3-for-4 with 58 yards and a touchdown in that area of the field.
The first came at the end of the half. After the game, McCarthy said that his completion to Jalen Nailor was the pass that got him in a groove throwing the ball.
Out of a trips formation, Nailor lines up in the slot closest to the offensive line. The Bears play man coverage with two deep safeties and Nailor just outruns his man on a deep crossing route. You can see one of Chicago’s safeties was playing in the Great Lakes and the other had eyes on Jefferson, which took him away from the area where Nailor was headed. McCarthy saw the safety take Jets and delivered a pass on the money.
The next time McCarthy hit on a chunk play was in the fourth quarter when KOC dialed up a play-action pass that required a lot of arm behind it. From the right hash, McCarthy threw an anticipation ball to Jefferson on the opposite sideline. He released the football at his own 45 and Jefferson caught it inside the 20 yard line. The location also brought the receiver back toward the QB, making it very difficult for the corner to undercut the throw even if he had tight coverage.
McCarthy’s first touchdown was helped along by pre-snap motion. Sending Nailor in motion gave the QB a hint that the Bears were playing man coverage. Jefferson’s defender plays the outside break while the helping safety plays the inside cut. The problem for the DBs was that Jefferson got into his break at such a high speed that the safety couldn’t recover. When the receiver came open, McCarthy drilled the ball into him for a touchdown.
These are the types of throws that we have seen McCarthy make repeatedly during training camp. For as much as we talk about touch throws, he is still most comfortable with putting his body behind the ball and driving it. That’s what he did on these three throws and they turned into enormous plays.
The rebuilt interior O-line
The Vikings running game got off to a slow start in the first half but when Jordan Mason got rolling it was partially due to some body-moving by the interior of the offensive line. He ran nine times between the tackles for a total of 60 yards.
On this play, rookie Donovan Jackson pulls while right guard Will Fries blocks the nose tackle. Fries completely stonewalls his man while Jackson walls off the edge defender. Brian O’Neill and Josh Oliver handle their blocks, giving TJ Hockenson a free shot at the linebacker with a head of steam and Mason hits the alley.
For a big fella, Mason can scoot.
Two plays in this next clip.
The first shows Jackson and Ryan Kelly working together. They double team the nose tackle as Jackson gets to his outside shoulder quickly. He ends up tripping at the end but for the majority of the play, the rookie is able to move at a high rate of speed while holding off the strong DT. The second is Jackson hitting the NT and then working up to the linebacker and taking him out of the play for a positive run.
Jackson’s movement skill is pretty unique. There’s a reason he was taken in the first round.
When was the last time you saw this: The Vikings’ three interior offensive linemen all graded by PFF above average in pass protection.
Aaron Jones’ touchdown catch was a good demonstration of why they graded so well. The Bears rushed four but they ran a stunt on the left side. Kelly was not hoodwinked. Jackson took the defensive tackle and the veteran center was standing there waiting for the edge rusher. When he arrived, Kelly buried him, giving McCarthy enough time to make the wide open throw.
Jordan Mason’s tackle-breaking
The Vikings brought in Mason to add a physical presence and he did that, gaining 56 of his 68 yards after first contact.
Aaron Jones the receiver
While Jones didn’t get going on the ground, he got the team’s highest receiving grade from PFF with three grabs for 44 yards.
Defensive tackles, everyone
The snap split went like this:
Allen: 52
Hargrave: 45
Redmond: 32
Rodriguez: 20
Ingram-Dawkins: 10
In total, Hargrave and Allen combined for 13 QB pressures. To put that in context, Jerry Tillery had 17 on 482 snaps last year.
Two clips here: The first is Hargrave’s most impressive play: A sack in the second half in which he flashed his ridiculous size/quickness combination. The second clip is the effort that he put in to wall off Williams from running down the sideline. If Hargrave doesn’t hustle over, who knows what he might have done in open space.
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