Look around at the NFL. Only five teams have a 4-1 record.
The Vikings are one of them.
Look around at the NFC North. One team sits above the rest.
The purple and gold, indeed.
It has not always been the stuff of beauty, but through five weeks, strictly from the perspective of the number in the win column, Minnesota’s football team is in a prime position. How has it gotten there? We watched the all-22 film from Sunday’s victory against the Chicago Bears, analyzed the metrics and asked for context from those integrally involved.
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Here are some takeaways following Week 5:
Kirk Cousins kept Bears off balance
You do not begin a game with 17 straight completions if you’re not accurate. But for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, accuracy has never been a question. What has been a question, though, especially in the first five weeks of running coach Kevin O’Connell’s system, is comfort. And not once has Cousins seemed more comfortable this season in ways that were both visible and audible.
Rewatching the game on television, specifically on the Vikings’ first couple of drives, you can hear Cousins’ hard count.
On first-and-10 on the Vikings’ first possession, Cousins crouched under center Garrett Bradbury, and for a moment the viewer awaited the snap. Then, after surveying the defensive front and the secondary, Cousins stepped back, and yelled two words: “Water! Water!” He then returned to his place beneath Bradbury, received the snap and handed off to his left to running back Dalvin Cook, who jump-cut to the right and scampered for a nice gain.
Rather than huddle up, Cousins relayed the next play to his teammates while walking immediately up to the snap. Once again, after two tries at the hard count, he stepped back, barked a couple of words and called for the snap on what became a play-action pass to wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
One of the benefits of this approach is that if the Vikings do not substitute, the defense cannot substitute. So if the Vikings notice that the opposition is playing with a personnel grouping they believe they can exploit, they can press down on the throttle.
Cousins remained vague after the game about what he was trying to do. He did, however, say that that approach is prepared beforehand.
“I think it’s just an opportunity to kind of keep going, keep the momentum going in our favor,” the quarterback said. “Kind of going back to that wind-at-your-back feel where you’re playing downhill in a good way where you’ve kind of got momentum, and you just kind of keep that tempo going and apply pressure. That’s really what you want to do there. I think it’s been effective for us.”
LIVE: @KirkCousins8 talks to the media after today’s victory. https://t.co/LJGAsd7kb1
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 9, 2022
O’Connell expounded on Sunday’s approach, saying that the offense was in “a no-huddle mode” in which they wanted to press certain buttons depending on the intel Cousins was gleaning from the defense.
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“There’s a lot to playing quarterback in our offense that goes beyond just throwing and catching sometimes,” O’Connell said.
After Sunday’s game, O’Connell lauded Cousins’ cognitive filtering of the Bears’ pre-snap looks and post-snap alterations. His praise continued Monday.
“We’ve been able to grow more and more in our guys’ comfort level with how we want to play,” O’Connell said. “How we want to be in attack mode. And how we want to be in and out of different tempos based upon what we see is the right way to play that particular drive.”
Harrison Smith’s key pass breakup
Cam Dantzler made the most high-profile defensive play Sunday, stripping Ihmir Smith-Marsette to seal the game. But a quarter prior, on a pivotal third-and-5, Harrison Smith, the six-time Pro Bowl safety, ranged for a vintage pass breakup against Darnell Mooney in the end zone.
After the game, Smith explained his thought process on the play — from what was going through his mind before the snap to how he knew to retreat on the football.
He lined up outside the hash at safety on the left side, where the Bears positioned two receivers, including Mooney.
Linebacker Jordan Hicks stationed himself in front of Mooney in the slot before the snap. As Bears quarterback Justin Fields walked up to his offensive linemen to tell them the protection, Smith crept down and passed a quick message to Hicks.
Smith, 33, is in his 11th NFL season. And even if his voice is not always the loudest, he remains an important part of the Vikings defense. Watching the film each week, his communication with teammates is obvious.
This specific play featured it, too, but it also flashed Smith’s skill set.
“You expect the ball to come out fast in those situations,” he said. “But with a QB like that, he can buy some time.”
That’s exactly what happened. Edge rusher Za’Darius Smith swooped around the right edge, forcing Fields to Smith’s side. Seeing Fields scrambling, Hicks leaped forward toward the quarterback, leaving Mooney to run free in the secondary. Mooney leaked toward the corner of the end zone, and Smith took off.
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“Once he got on top of me, I thought the ball was probably coming there,” Smith said.
How did he time the pass breakup?
“Listening to the crowd,” he said. “Sometimes it works out.”
Other thoughts
• Once again Sunday, the Vikings offensive line more than held its own. The unit only allowed four total pressures in the first half, per TruMedia, and a 14.8 percent pressure rate. (In the first four weeks, its collective pressure rate allowed was 33.3 percent, which ranked 24th in the NFL.) O’Connell attributed the positive strides to the vibe of the room created by first-year offensive line coach Chris Kuper, who is a Mike Munchak disciple.
Left tackle Christian Darrisaw has not allowed a sack all year. Left guard Ezra Cleveland has only allowed three pressures total in the last three weeks. Center Garrett Bradbury ranks 12th in total offensive grade among centers, per PFF. And although right tackle Brian O’Neill struggled against Cam Jordan in London, well, it’s Cam Jordan. That the group is performing early on is important, especially considering the pass-rushing potential of future opponents like the Bills and Cowboys.
• Where has Danielle Hunter’s pressure production gone? He did sack Fields once Sunday, but his overall pressure rate in the game was 8 percent, per TruMedia. This season, his pressure rate is 7 percent, which ranks 56th out of 65 defenders who have rushed the passer on at least 120 snaps.
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said last week that shifting from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4 requires an adjustment. Hunter admitted this week that “it’s a transition,” especially having to rush the passer from an upright position, having had so much success with his hand in the ground.
Regardless, the difference in his production is jarring. He posted pressure rates of 16.6 percent in 2019 and 13.8 percent last season.
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• O’Connell’s creativity with his play calling continued Sunday on a play within 5 yards of the goal line. The Vikings rank fourth in the league in touchdowns converted from within that distance behind the Chiefs, Eagles and Lions.
On this specific play, a third-and-goal in the second quarter, the Vikings motioned two players to the left side and faked as if they were going to run it that way. Cousins instead shoveled a pass to wide receiver Jalen Reagor, who sidestepped Bears linebacker Roquan Smith on his way into the end zone.
.@KirkCousins8 and the #Vikings offense 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/lhODrCzagc
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 9, 2022
• Evident numerous times on film were the communication issues of the Vikings defense. In some instances, as Fields was moments away from receiving the snap, defenders across the field were looking to their teammates for guidance.
Here’s one example, highlighting most of the secondary:
And another, showing Smith and Hicks:
And another, where Smith points to his left, and fellow safety Cam Bynum swivels around to occupy the spot as the Bears snap the football:
In some instances, Smith’s pointing could have been an attempt to confuse Fields. But the regular head-turning and pointing highlighted something linebacker Eric Kendricks said Sunday afternoon: “We’re still getting used to communicating with each other.”
• D.J. Wonnum recorded a team-high five pressures, per PFF. For the year, his 12.9 percent pressure rate ranks 27th best among defenders who have at least 90 pash-rush snaps.
• The Vikings defense showed some new looks Sunday that included rookie linebacker Brian Asamoah. The third-round pick played six defensive snaps, but he spied Fields on Hunter’s sack in the second quarter. In the third quarter, he blitzed on a play that saw edge rushers Wonnum and Hunter drop back into zone coverage.
• Justin Jefferson hauled in 10 catches for 138 yards in the first half. How was he so open? Essentially, he was isolated on rookie Bears cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson in the early going. Neither could stay with him, and at times, both tried to on the same play, opening up pockets for fellow wide receiver K.J. Osborn over the middle.
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Thinking forward to this weekend’s game, it will be interesting to see how the Dolphins attempt to defend Jefferson, considering top cornerback Xavien Howard missed Sunday’s game with a groin injury.
• O’Connell said Monday that rookie running back Ty Chandler broke his thumb and could miss several weeks. The only other addition to the injury report Sunday was rookie cornerback Akayleb Evans, who is in concussion protocol.
(Top photo: David Berding / Getty Images)
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