O'Connell hit right notes with gameplan vs. Browns
It wasn't pretty but the quick passing game got the job done, especially in the biggest moment
By Matthew Coller
Sometimes we need a whole bunch of different stats to understand why a football team won and sometimes you just need one stat. In the case of the Minnesota Vikings victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, one number tells the story: Carson Wentz’s average time from snap to throw was 2.43 seconds, the fastest in the NFL in Week 5 per NFL NextGen.
With three backup offensive linemen starting the game and four backups finishing the game, the Vikings were going to have zero shot at beating the immensely talented Browns defensive line if Wentz held onto the ball and took sacks like he did last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The NextGen chart of his throws against the Browns shows clearly how Kevin O’Connell’s gameplan for the veteran quarterback mitigated the Cleveland pass rush and slowed down superstar Myles Garrett. The Vikings gave them no time to reach the QB with 12 throws behind the line of scrimmage, five more between 0-5 yards and seven more between 5-15 yards. When Wentz needed to push the ball downfield to Justin Jefferson, like on the final drive, he was able to find matchups quickly that still allowed him to float the ball up to Jefferson without fiddling around in the pocket.
Wentz finished the day with 234 yards, one game-winning touchdown on a brilliant throw and catch to Jordan Addison and zero interceptions. Enough to get the Vikings to 3-2 on the season.
“I just told [Wentz] to trust me,” O’Connell said in his postgame press conference. “I just told him, let me worry about as best I can what’s happening up front and help where I can. I just want you to play fast and see it and throw it.”
The final drive overall was a work of play calling art. O’Connell opened with a run that picked up nine yards and then worked the underneath routes with completions of six yards and 14 yards to TJ Hockenson before Wentz decided to trust Jefferson one-on-one against star corner Denzel Ward.
On third-and-4 in the red zone, Addison was sent in motion into the flat and got the ball instantly after the snap, getting just enough to gain a first down that set up the go-ahead score.
According to Kevin Cole’s Unexpected Points newsletter, the Vikings had a 51.1% success rate on offensive plays and the passing success ranked in the 80th percentile. Cole wrote:
“Among 33 quarterbacks with at least 80 drop-backs this season, Wentz ranks a respectable 12th in EPA per play (+0.18) and has a positive completion percentage over expectation.”
Had the Vikings asked Wentz to pick apart deep developing routes and forced the offensive line to block the Browns D-line for 3+ seconds per drop-back, you can bet that his success rate and EPA and every other stat would not look “respectable.”
No matter what they decide to do at quarterback after they come back from the bye week, this type of gameplan has to continue. While they will eventually get back rookie Donovan Jackson and right tackle Brian O’Neill, the offensive line may never be at 100% for the entire season considering Ryan Kelly was placed on IR this week with his second concussion of the season.
When JJ McCarthy started against Chicago and Atlanta, his snap-to-release time was among the slowest in the NFL and he pain for it with a bunch of sacks and miscues. Now that the Vikings have their full compliment of weapons with Addison (for three quarters) back in the lineup alongside Jefferson, Hockenson and Jalen Nailor, the quick pass offense can thrive by putting the ball in the hands of the playmakers.
Continuing to keep Jefferson engaged with underneath stuff and forcing opponents to get antsy against him or bring people up into the box to stop short passes and runs is a good play. O’Connell said that they waited for Cleveland to play a cover-1 look against them and then hit Jefferson on his big reception down the sideline on the final drive.
The league in 2025 is inviting the short passing offenses to succeed. Drives are starting at the 30-yard line and field-goal position is now the 45-yard line. Plus, defenses are filled with madmen like Myles Garrett, Malik Collins and Mason Graham.
There are very few weeks on the schedule where any QB can feel safe in the pocket, regardless of how healthy the offensive line is.
Last year the Vikings led the league in explosive passes with the freaky arm talent of Sam Darnold but that’s in the past now. Adapt or die. On Sunday, the Vikings remained alive. Now they have their model going forward.
Other takeaways from Sunday…
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