When you have a conversation with Jerick McKinnon about how he feels he is playing, the topic of pass protection inevitably comes up. Since the day he was drafted, McKinnon has been acutely aware of how pass protection, or a lack thereof, would affect how often he is put out on the field.
Having played in a triple-option offense at George Southern, lining up at quarterback for much of that time, the rookie running back admitted right away that he didn't do much pass blocking and that it was something he would need to continually work on to be trusted as a third-down back here.
Of course, the loss of Adrian Peterson meant that the Vikings would need him to be more than that.
And while McKinnon has impressed as a runner, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, and as a receiver, with 16 catches through seven games, pass protection has been an area in which he has struggled.
McKinnon was used as a pass blocker on 24 snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. They say he was beaten for a pair of sacks and allowed five other pressures. After crunching those numbers, Pro Football Focus concluded that McKinnon has been the league's leakiest back in pass protection. The two sacks and seven pressures allowed both rank as the most among his peers.
The majority of those pressures came in the loss to the Lions, but McKinnon took a step in the right direction against the Bills, when he didn't allow a single pressure in his five snaps as a pass blocker.
McKinnon's improved performance in that area caught the eye of Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.
"Jerick has played well. I thought he did better in pass protection last week," Zimmer said today.
