Film study: Chasing Caleb
How did the Vikings contain the young playmaking QB? How did they run successfully? Let's take a look at the tape
By Matthew Coller
The Minnesota Vikings defense got back on track on Monday night by smashing Caleb Williams and the Bears. How did they take care of business versus the struggling rookie? Let’s have a look…
Chasing Caleb Williams
The Vikings did a particularly good job of keeping Williams from hurting them with his playmaking skill by deploying a bunch of different types of rushes and getting outstanding efforts from their top players up front.
We begin with a play in which Williams wasn’t initially pressured but bailed quickly on wherever he was supposed to go with the ball. Safety Josh Metellus was spying Williams as the Vikings only rushed three and Metellus was able to contain the rookie quarterback from finding anywhere to run.
You will notice that Jonathan Greenard is nowhere to be seen in the clip because he is dropping back in coverage. Flores used Greenard in coverage often against Chicago and it worked effectively to keep Williams from beating them outside. More on that to come…
But first let’s have a look at what the word “relentless” means. Linebacker Blake Cashman blitzes with a little hesitation so two Bears offensive linemen take the same guy (44) and the left guard is left scrambling to try to get a block on him. Cashman gets hit in the hip by the guard but isn’t thrown off his path and then Williams starts to run away from him but Cashman keeps motoring all the way to the sideline.
Give Metellus props as well for getting hit by two linemen and fighting his way to the quarterback’s feet.
Our next look is at one of Greenard’s outstanding rushes off the edge. After the Vikings took an early lead, Williams moved the ball into Viking territory looking to respond but Greenard put on a filthy move vs. the left tackle for a strip sack. If you watch Greenard’s left hand, he uses it to swat away the tackle’s reach and then turns the corner with lightning speed for the huge hit.
A detail here was that the Vikings rushed five to create one-on-ones and — for some reason — the player in the backfield was going out on a route rather than chipping or helping with Greenard. If he doesn’t yet have that type of respect from other teams, he’s going to keep sacking the heck out of quarterbacks.
Our next play is a Greenard drop back into coverage that causes problems for Williams. Chicago’s QB started to go through his progression and then appeared to have No. 15 flash open in the middle of the zone. But at the last second he seems to realize that Greenard is there and doesn’t throw the ball. (It’s a big problem for Chicago that he didn’t trust his read to throw that ball, by the way). Once he pulls the ball down and starts to scramble, Greenard has eyes on him the entire time, takes an outside angle so he can’t get around him into space and allows his teammates to make the play.
This is where Greenard’s value even goes beyond the All-Pro caliber season that he’s having. It’s hard to believe that many edge rushers in the league would be fine with being used this way routinely throughout a game but Greenard excelled in that vital role of keeping Williams contained.
Realizing the straight drop-back game wasn’t going to be ideal for the Bears, they attempted some quick throws, which the Vikings slowed down. One of them was a screen to the outside that budding defensive tackle Jalen Redmond tracked down. This is the second straight week we have seen him pursue a screen pass like a linebacker despite weighing near 300 pounds.
If Redmond doesn’t get there on the play, DJ Moore would have gained several more yards and had an opportunity to break tackles. But there is a lot of hustle in Redmond.
The next clip might be the best demonstration of Brian Flores’s mad scientist act. In previous weeks, I have shown plays where Blake Cashman blitzes toward the tackle to set a pick for the outside linebacker to cut back inside. On this play, he fakes the pick and then loops around back toward the middle.
You can bet that all week the Bears prepared for the Cashman outside rush toward the tackle when he was lined up over the B gap and then he just disappeared. At the same time, Jihad Ward took two offensive linemen with him into the backfield to collapse the pocket. The teamwork on Flores’s rushes was just flat-out fantastic in this game.
One more. Yes, you remember this one. Once again, you see Williams not trust his read and scramble. It looks like he is supposed to throw down the seam to Rome Odunze and he has the look with Metellus running full speed with his back turned to keep up with the rookie WR. Byron Murphy Jr. is lurking in a deep zone and Williams decides against it. The NFL is outrageously difficult so you can understand why he did this but if Williams was capable of throwing with anticipation he probably releases the ball when Odunze is on about the 10-yard line and throws it to the back of the “N” in Vikings for a touchdown. Small margins.
Anyway, watch Greenard in pursuit. The gas pedal is always down to the floor with him and that’s why he has played at a remarkably high level this year.
The Vikings showing against Williams put on display why they have been a good defenses this year. They create hesitation with quarterbacks and unique rush plans that make preparation very difficult.
That said, even on some of these plays, you can see why some veteran quarterbacks are able to move the ball and stay on the field. If they block it right and the QB can see the field and throw with conviction into spots that are open in the zone, they can methodically convert completions. The idea from Flores is that it’s hard to block it up and see it over and over and over again.
Thriving run game
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