Film Study: Protecting Darnold

Looking at how quality pass protection gave the Vikings a chance to steamroll the Packers through the air

© Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

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By Matthew Coller

The Minnesota Vikings came away from Sunday afternoon’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers with a massive victory that now gives them a shot at beating the Lions and winning the conference. How did they do it? Well, it started up front and then took advantage of the Packers’ coverage trying desperately to slow down Jefferson.

Let’s have a look….

7:45, First Quarter. Third-and-2, Minnesota 43

After a Green Bay punt, the Vikings were looking to take advantage early and put some points on the board. On third-and-short, Sam Darnold sent Jordan Addison in motion looking to create conflict with the defense on the right side but Green Bay did a very good job of covering it up. Darnold, whose pocket awareness seems to be growing by the week, realized that there wasn’t any pressure coming his way so he just waited until someone broke open. After going through about six reads, that someone turned out to be TJ Hockenson.

If we didn’t freeze frame it, you wouldn’t have guessed that the Packers sent a simulated pressure where they rushed four by dropping out an edge rusher. It looked like they were rushing three because of the way the Vikings eliminated the blitzer from the equation. Garrett Bradbury made sure the linebacker went nowhere and Dalton Risner kept his man completely in check. Cam Robinson at left tackle was also aware of the outside linebacker taking a step toward rushing and then dropping back, so he easily took out the defensive tackle trying to loop around. Darnold could have set up a picnic back there.

11:52, Second Quarter. Second-and-8, Green Bay 31

You were probably wondering how Jalen Nailor got so wide open for his early second-quarter touchdown. Well, first, Darnold had plenty of time to let the play completely develop. He started to throw the ball toward Hockenson, who was wide open underneath, and then pulled it down and flipped it over the defensive backs for a touchdown.

It’s hard to be sure exactly who made a mistake on Green Bay’s side when the answer might be everyone since there were open receivers everywhere but it appears the safety on the right hash was supposed to rotate over to the middle of the field and instead he was too wide and Nailor ran right to wide open spaces.

In order for Darnold to have enough time for Nailor to get past the safety, the O-line had to hold up. Hockenson gave some help to O’Neill but the wide rush left Risner one-on-one with the defensive tackle. You can see the way the DT gets an initial edge on the right guard but he keeps battling and allows Darnold enough space to let loose.

4:38, Third Quarter. Third-and-6, Green Bay 42

Our next play features O’Connell getting crafty with motion. He sends Jordan Addison across the formation and nobody from the Packers follows him, which means that it’s likely zone coverage. With all three receivers to one side, Jefferson runs into the middle of the field and breaks outside with a short route and Addison runs an out route 10 yards deeper. They cause the zone cornerback to widen in order to keep eyes on Jefferson and play underneath Adisson. That gives Nailor a gap for Darnold to whip the ball into him for a first down.

The Packers took some pages out of Brian Flores’s playbook in this game. On this play he loaded up six players at the line of scrimmage and they drop two. The offensive line sorts it all out. Keep an eye on Brian O’Neill, who identifies immediate that Rashan Gary is the one rushing rather than No. 55 Kingsley Enagbare and he bounces out wide to shut down Gary. In the game, the star Packers edge rusher had just two QB pressures.

12:15, Third Quarter. Third-and-8, Minnesota 43

Early in the third quarter, Nailor came through on another third down with a 22-yard catch that eventually led to a touchdown. The Packers drop a deep safety into the middle of the field who would have been able to identify a deep in-breaking route if he hadn’t been completely turned toward Jefferson. Right behind him, Nailor makes a terrific catch.

Yards and receptions do not even begin to tell the story about Jefferson’s value to the offense. The sheer terror that he strikes into opponents’ hearts is everywhere on the tape.

The Packers got a little bit more heat on Darnold on this play, sending a late blitzer up the middle who rams into Brandel to create space for the rusher behind him. CJ Ham steps up a shade too far but still gets a shoulder on the linebacker to give Darnold enough time to throw the ball.

9:44, Third Quarter. First-and-10, Green Bay 18

Put this next play on the 2024 Vikings highlight reel. Darnold runs play action, steps up in the pocket and lets a laser pass fly into the end zone for Addison. The route is sold remarkably well by Addison and the space is created by — you’ll never guess — Jefferson.

Risner gets matched up with Gary one-on-one and LB Edgerrin Cooper gets outside O’Neill. The reason Darnold has space to step up is because Risner handles Gary. Garrett Bradbury also takes on DT Karl Brooks and stands him up to retain the clean pocket.

0:51, Third Quarter. Second-and-goal, Green Bay 9

Up next is Cam Akers’s screen pass touchdown. The Vikings have gotten their screen game going more and more over the last few weeks and this 9-yard TD has some notable details. Akers doesn’t swing out toward the sideline, instead he stops and turns around. Bradbury races out to get hands on the linebacker and Jefferson battles hard against the cornerback to allow Akers enough space for a touchdown.

O’Connell putting three receivers in a bunch formation to keep the attention of half the Packers defense ensured that they would only have to deal with two defenders and Akers would need to win a one-on-one. It turned out that the safety couldn’t get around Bradbury blocking his man and Akers easily went into the end zone.

Just like the value of Jefferson stressing defenses and drawing them away from Addison, Hockenson and Nailor, his motor and effort go underrated as he makes highlight-reel receptions. That’s the second time this year he’s been blocking at the goal line for a runner to get behind him and walk in. Superstar stuff, friends.

1:57, Fourth Quarter. Second-and-11, Minnesota 42

With the Vikings needing one more first down to end the game, O’Connell drew up a bootleg rollout with Jefferson coming across the field. The Packers do a good job of covering Jefferson halfway through his route but he keeps trucking at full speed and then takes an angle back to the quarterback in order to give Darnold a window to fit the football for a 9-yard gain.

The combination of effort and instincts to cut off the defender’s potential path to breaking up the ball is the reason the Vikings were able to win the game on the next play.

Let’s have a look at some of the keys to the Vikings strong defensive performance. The first is Harrison Phillips’ play in the middle and the other Flores’s rush schemes.