Film review: Four suggestions as the Vikings search for their identity

Coach Kevin O’Connell returned from the bye week with a repeated call to his Vikings team, which is 3-2 despite being battered and bruised through the early portion of the schedule.

“From a 30,000-foot view,” he said, “we’ve got to continue to do the simple things better. ... All 11 guys doing their job, penalty-free football. ... Got to be elite with our ball security the rest of the way to truly play these games the way we want to play them.”

“The defensive opportunities for turnovers will come,” O’Connell added, “and they’ll come with us being efficient on offense and maintaining possessions and scoring some points, and trying to let those guys play with a lead at times.”

Simple things like tackling, holding onto the ball and not committing penalties are all things that have been elusive at times — and have left O’Connell wanting to see more. Especially from an injury-ravaged offense that has already started 19 different players, including nine offensive linemen, through five games. They have committed eight turnovers (tied for 20th in the league) and only the Jaguars are committing as many presnap penalties per game (3) as the Vikings offense.

“Ultimately we feel it’s a little more about us,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “When we haven’t had those things, we’ve moved the ball fairly well throughout the year. Obviously, some detailed things that we want to get better at in certain schemes ... more than anything, it’s about not hurting ourselves.”

The Vikings offense hurt itself, particularly with two fumbles, in the Oct. 5 win over the Browns.

But there were also signs of growth — perhaps even signs of a budding identity on offense — that this team could focus around either quarterback Carson Wentz or J.J. McCarthy. There was also one troubling and persistent problem on a defense that is still doing plenty else well.

O’Connell and Phillips have overseen one of the NFL’s most prolific play-action passing attacks since arriving in 2022. Quarterback Kirk Cousins fit the system like a glove, throwing for 1,324 play-action yards (ranking fifth) and 12 touchdowns (tied for third) that year. They squeezed over 1,400 play-action yards from Cousins, Nick Mullens, Joshua Dobbs and Jaren Hall in an injury-marred 2023. Production reached new heights with Sam Darnold, whose 1,634 play-action yards (third) and 16 touchdowns (tied for first) were a foundational piece of a breakout season.

Play-action yardage accounted for 37.8% of Darnold’s total last year.

This year? Neither Wentz nor McCarthy have found the same rhythm. They’ve combined to throw for 207 play-action yards, or 18.5% of the team’s passing yardage.

But the most recent win over the Browns showed a step forward.

Wentz completed a season-high 8 of 14 play-action throws for 91 yards against Cleveland. Creative designs by the coaching staff helped open throwing lanes with fake handoffs while still getting the ball out of Wentz’s hands quickly. Coaches showed not every play-action pass needs to be a lengthy seven-step drop. These plays were also critical in giving the offense’s best players like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and company chances to run after the catch.

Tight end T.J. Hockenson emphatically pointed at Mason in the third quarter against the Browns. The running back had just perfectly bounced outside, finding 14 yards in Cleveland’s red zone, marking the third-best carry by a running back against the Browns defense this season. Mason saw Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett spike inside against an interior Vikings run play, so Mason expertly set up Hockenson’s block by shifting gears on Cleveland’s perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

The Vikings’ rush offense is middling. The onslaught of injuries has hit there, too, with the injured including some of their best run blockers, like fullback C.J. Ham and running back Aaron Jones. But they’re at their best when both tight ends, Hockenson and Josh Oliver, are on the field.

Excluding quarterback and receiver runs, the Vikings’ 16th-ranked rushing attack (4.3 yards per carry) becomes the sixth-best (4.8) when they’re running from 12, or two-tight end, personnel. This grouping’s efficiency against Cleveland (10 carries for 33 yards and a score) won’t blow you away, but the Browns have the NFL’s No. 1-ranked run defense (3.1 yards per carry) and the two-tight end personnel groupings produced gains of 14 and 9 yards and a 3-yard score.

A typical backbone of coordinator Brian Flores’ defense in Minnesota — stopping the run — has fractured at times. Browns running back Quinshon Judkins became the third runner in five games to walk away with 99-plus rushing yards against the Vikings, finishing with 23 carries for 110 yards.

After the win, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard said “no disrespect” to Judkins, but they “know we’re going to face better competition” with the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, the Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs and the Ravens’ Derrick Henry coming up within the next four games.

Linebacker Blake Cashman, last year’s leading tackler who returned to practice this week for the first time since injuring his hamstring in the Sept. 8 win in Chicago, pointed to tackling.

“Early in a NFL season sometimes tackling can be an issue,” he said. “It tends to start low and then it gets better as the year goes on and then maybe trickles off a little bit at the end of the year.”

“We got to finish on ball carriers better,” he added.

The Vikings’ 10.2 missed tackles per game are up from last year’s 7.8. Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. leads the team with 10 missed tackles after having 12 misses in 12 games last season.

“There’s some plays he wants back,” Flores said of Pace, “but like every other player. There’s calls I want back, so learning from those and continuing to grow and get better. I think he’s doing a lot of good things.”

A different core standard of Flores’ defenses — limiting explosive plays — has been just fine so far.

Only the Green Bay Packers (7) have allowed fewer explosive plays (defined as gains of 20-plus yards) than the Vikings’ 10 through five games. Minnesota has surrendered just eight explosive passes and two big runs.

Few big plays combined with the Vikings’ strong red-zone defense, which is tied for fourth with a 50% touchdown rate, have kept points off the board.

“We’ve done some good things, but I don’t think we’ve played our best football yet,” Flores said Tuesday. “I think that’s where you’ll see what we think our identity is and we’ll hopefully see that in the next few weeks.”

During the Sept. 28 loss against Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Vikings uncharacteristically gave up two touchdowns within the first three drives: the 80-yard catch and run by Steelers receiver DK Metcalf and a nine-play, 71-yard drive ending in a 1-yard touchdown run by Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell.

Play No. 1 shows defensive tackle Jalen Redmond’s second-down sack before cornerback Isaiah Rodgers blocked a field goal attempt. Play No. 2 is a red-zone third down in which a crafty presnap fake by Dallas Turner forces the Steelers’ pass protection to slide the opposite way of Eric Wilson’s blitz. Play No. 3 shows quick edge pressures by Turner (15) and Greenard, thwarting a first-down downfield attempt by Pittsburgh. Play No. 4 has safety Harrison Smith (22) dropping into his classic “robber” role in a Cover 1, hovering over Metcalf (4) in the middle of the field; Rodgers quickly moves on to a checkdown to Gainwell, who’s tackled by Wilson short of the marker.