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Quarterback Sam Bradford was sensational, carving up the New Orleans Saints for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Stefon Diggs grabbed a pair of touchdowns and the Vikings cruised past the Saints for a 29-19 win. Daniel House takes you inside his notebook!
Updated: September 11, 2017, 11:00 p.m.
By: Daniel House
By: Daniel House
After a discouraging preseason, the Vikings showed why you should
take exhibition performances with a grain of salt. Quarterback Sam Bradford was
sensational, carving up the Saints for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Stefon Diggs
grabbed a pair of touchdowns and the Vikings cruised past the Saints for a
29-19 win.
Minnesota tallied 470 total yards, which was their highest
mark since Week 3 of 2014. The coaches have been discussing the need for more
explosive plays and Monday night’s win provided plenty of them.
For more, take a dive inside my notebook:
Bradford lights it up
Quarterback Sam Bradford showed what he can do when he is
provided with adequate time and takes chances up the field. He finished the
night 27-for-32 with 346 yards and three touchdowns. He gashed the Saints
defense and climbed the pocket to drive throws down the field. When he faced
pressure, he was still able to keep sound footwork and delivered throws into
tight windows. The best example of this was when he stood in the pocket and
delivered a strike to Jarius Wright for a 21-yard gain. He fit the pass into a
six-inch window while standing in the pocket until the final moment.
The coaches have emphasized the need for explosive plays and
a three-play, 74-yard drive with completions of 35, 21, and 18 yards to Wright,
Adam Thielen, and Stefon Diggs provided encouragement. Bradford loves to throw
corner routes and does so with fantastic touch and accuracy. He really showed
his confidence down the field in training camp and it translated to the game
due to improved pass protection. The offense really took advantage of play
action looks and used them throughout the game to help push the ball down the field
vertically. If the Vikings can score over 20 points per game this year, they’ll
win plenty of games because of their defense.
Cook stands out in
his first NFL start
Dalvin Cook made his Vikings debut and shined as the Saints defense
ran out of steam. Cook was very elusive between the tackles and created runs
when he faced extra contact. He was very patient and used his vision to extend
several rushes. Cook got to the edge a few times and showed the other gear he
has in the second level. He finished the night with 127 yards on 22 carries and
busted off an impressive 33-yard run to ice the win. Cook had a few lapses as a
pass catcher, but two of them were related to poor play calls. He can play all
three downs and helped immensely in blitz pickup situations. We only saw a
glimpse of what Cook is capable of during his first official NFL game.
Diggs and Thielen are
dynamic
The Vikings have a special player on offense to pair with
two very underrated wide receivers. I’ve been saying it for a very long time,
Stefon Diggs is wired differently. He competes at such a high level and is a technician
as a route runner. He completed an extremely difficult catch through contact to
pick up 20 yards in the red zone. Diggs also made his contested grabs look
easy, including a 2-yard touchdown. He wins with smooth routes and extremely
lethal footwork. If he can stay healthy, the Vikings might have an elite level
wide receiver at their disposal. Even more importantly, Adam Thielen is just as
exciting. His body control and reliable hands stood out as he made an
impressive 45-yard catch from Bradford. He ran a variety of different route
combinations and showed how underrated he is at getting open. Thielen tallied
157 yards, notching nine catches on 10 targets. The Saints had no answer for
the Thielen and Diggs combination. When Michael Floyd returns, the Vikings also
will have another deep threat to complement their skilled duo.
Offensive line was a
pleasant surprise
The re-tooled offensive line deserves praise for the way
they performed in this game. The unit allowed just one sack and provided Sam
Bradford with ample time to move in the pocket. When he has this luxury, he can
be very deadly. Left tackle Riley Reiff didn’t allow any notable quarterback
pressures and was rock solid in pass protection. He also beautifully set the
edge for a 9-yard Dalvin Cook run in the first half. Reiff needs to be the rock
of this offensive line and he made a fantastic impression in his debut. Mike
Remmers had one holding call (shouldn’t have been one), but held up relatively
well. There were a few less impressive reps in pass protection, but he opened holes
in the running game.
The interior of the offensive line performed relatively well.
Pat Elflein flashed his physicality and got to the second level as a blocker.
He is a perfect fit in the power zone scheme the Vikings are running. Nick
Easton also had a few great reps and sprung a 7-yard inside run by Dalvin Cook.
He still shows a few growing pains, but he fits well in the system and has the
movement skills necessary to be a very effective fit in this blocking scheme.
Overall, the offensive line was a pleasant surprise and it allowed Pat Shurmur
to open up the offense and take shots down the field. Shumur called a great
game and really maximized the full potential of his offensive weapons. The unit
still could use a little more consistency from a run blocking standpoint, but
it was much improved.
Defense bends, but
doesn’t break
It’s crazy that the first few sections of this piece were
all about the offense. The Vikings defense continued to show their dominance.
They played more zone and didn’t blitz extensively, but they still created
pressure and covered the short-to-intermediate routes well. The unit did allow
a few chunk plays, including a 52-yard reception to wide receiver Tommylee
Lewis. However, the defense managed to clamp down and get stops. Before a late game
score, the Saints had manufactured just four field goals and went 0-for-3 in
goal-to-go situations. Early in the game, New Orleans used personnel packages
to test the Vikings in the base 4-3 defense. The response wasn’t great, but the
coaches made a few subtle adjustments to stop the quick rhythm passing game.
The defense kept New Orleans’ passing game in check and didn’t
allow Drew Brees to get into a rhythm. Trae Waynes was beaten deep on a
nine-route, but held up relatively well on his other assignments. It was particularly
noticeable how well he played in run support and as a tackler in space. Veteran
Terence Newman played nickel cornerback, which really tells you everything you
need to know about Mackensie Alexander’s development. With recent acquisition
Tramaine Brock out, the Vikings went with a veteran inside. Newman continues to
show everyone that age is just a number as he executes his versatile role in
the defense.
Linebacker Eric Kendricks was flying all over the field and put
together one of his best performances in purple. He was reacting very instinctively
in coverage and was physical against the run. Anthony Barr also had eight
tackles, including an impressive tackle-for-loss in space. He fought through
blocks and made plays against the run throughout the night. Barr showed
improved effort and energy on defense, which was definitely an encouraging
sign.
Run defense shuts
down Peterson
Minnesota’s run defense allowed just 60 yards on the ground.
It was fueled by Linval Joseph, who was creating disruptions throughout the
night. He caused headaches with his impressive power and first step. The
Vikings interior was getting a great push and Shamar Stephen had several positive
reps, too. Adrian Peterson’s return was silenced as he rushed for just 18 yards
on six carries. Minnesota needed to get better against the run and Monday night’s
performance was encouraging.
The narrative is clear: the defense will keep the Vikings in
games, but an offensive output like everyone saw Monday night would make this
team a threat every Sunday.
Is that level of play sustainable?
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