by: Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL)
When the Vikings signed quarterback Kirk Cousins, they envisioned
he would control games and make big-time throws in high leverage situations. During
Sunday’s 21-16 loss to the Packers, Cousins was unable to step up in an
important divisional game. He overshot receivers, struggled on third-down and
tossed a horrible fourth quarter interception. Although there were many
mistakes throughout this game, Cousins’ performance will be the main storyline
this week.
Minnesota was trailing by five points with five minutes
remaining in the game. The Vikings’ offense was starting to wear down the Green
Bay defensive front. Running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison were
averaging 6.7 yards per carry on the drive. After a dynamic 14-yard run by
Mattison, the Vikings faced a 1st-and-goal situation from the Green
Bay 8-yard-line. Instead of running the ball, offensive coordinator Kevin
Stefanski called a play-action roll-out. Cousins was 15 yards behind the line
of scrimmage, had pressure in his face and launched a pass off his back foot. He
threw into double coverage and the ball was intercepted by cornerback Kevin
Kevin. It was a poor decision by Cousins, who said he was trying to give Stefon
Diggs a chance to make the play. However, when factoring in his off-balance
throwing platform, the coverage situation and Minnesota’s success on the ground,
this was a head-scratching decision.
During Sunday’s loss, Cousins tossed two interceptions and
fumbled twice (one lost). Since 2015, no NFL quarterback has fumbled the ball
more than Cousins (44 times). These type of mistakes change the entire
landscape of games and put the defense in unfavorable situations. Cousins finished
the day 14-for-32 with 230 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. On
third-down, Cousins completed 5 of his 12 attempts for 97 yards, a fumble,
touchdown and interception.
There are still moments where Cousins shows off his ability to
execute deep vertical throws with placement and accuracy. On Sunday, he launched
a deep pass to Stefon Diggs for a 45-yard score. Unfortunately, it was
overshadowed by all of the missed opportunities. The entire offense also made
mistakes, including two holding penalties (both by Garrett Bradbury) that
stalled drives. There’s no doubt Minnesota has to clean up the amount of penalties
they are committing. Through two games, the Vikings have been flagged 19 times
and many of them have occurred at inopportune times.
Cook’s rushing
success and the Vikings’ personnel groupings
When the Vikings faced a 21-point first quarter deficit, the
entire game changed. The offense had to pass more to dig out of an early hole.
However, they still managed to run the ball with success. Running back Dalvin
Cook was sensational and rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown. He was picking
up yards after contact and displaying his superb balance, vision and footwork. Minnesota’s
rushing attack and scheme have been two of the biggest positive from the team’s
first two regular season games.
After running the ball for more than 70 percent of their
total snaps in Week 1, the Vikings’ offense showed more balance against the Packers.
During Sunday’s 21-16 loss to Green Bay, Minnesota passed the ball for 55
percent of its total offensive snaps. The Vikings also utilized tight ends and
fullbacks consistently. With the team’s limited personnel at wide receiver,
they haven’t been using many three-wide receiver sets. On Sunday, the Vikings
had fewer than three wide receivers on the field for 78.3 percent of their total
offensive plays (47 of 60).
At times, they did use tight end Irv Smith Jr. like a third
wide receiver, but this only accounted for five of Minnesota’s 20 plays out of
12 personnel. The Vikings could really use a third wide receiver that can
stretch the field and take a little attention off Stefon Diggs and Adam
Thielen. They need a wide receiver with speed that can stretch the seam and
open up some of the route concepts. Below is the distribution of personnel
groupings during Sunday’s game against Green Bay:
Personnel Groupings
(60 offensive snaps):
02 Personnel- (2 TEs,
3 WRs, 0 RBs): 2 plays (3.3%)
11 personnel- (1 TE,
3 WRs, 1 RB): 11 plays (18.3%)
12 Personnel- (2 TEs,
2 WRs, 1 RB): 20 plays (33.3%)
13 Personnel- (3 TEs,
1 WR, 1 RB): 3 plays (5%)
21 personnel- (1 TE, 2
WRs, 2 RBs): 22 plays (36.7%)
22 personnel- (2 TEs,
1 WR, 2 RBs): 2 plays (3.3%)
I broke this down even further to understand which personnel
groups were the most effective.
12 Personnel- (2
TEs, 2 WRs, 1 RB) – (20 plays – 12 passes, 6 runs, 1 sack, 1 QB scramble)
Passing: 5-for-12, 65
yards, INT, sack, fumble lost
Rushing: 6 carries
for 25 yards – 4.2 yards per carry
21 personnel- (1
TE, 2 WRs, 2 RBs) – (22 plays – 8 passes, 14 runs)
Passing: 3-for-8, 26
yards
Rushing: 14 carries
for 137 yards and a touchdown
11 personnel- (1
TE, 3 WRs, 1 RB) – (11 plays – 9 passes, 2 runs)
Passing: 5-for-9, 136
yards, TD, INT
Rushing: 2 carries
for 6 yards
22 personnel- (2
TEs, 1 WR, 2 RBs) – (2 plays – 1
run, 1 pass)
Passing: 0-for-1, 0
yards
Rushing: 1 carry, 7
yards
13 Personnel- (3
TEs, 1 WR, 1 RB) – (3 plays - 1 pass, 2 runs)
Passing: 1-for-1, -1
yard
Rushing: 2 carries for
6 yards
02 Personnel- (2
TEs, 3 WRs, 0 RBs): (2 plays – 1 pass, 1 rush)
Passing: 0-for-1, 0
yards
Rushing: Cousins
11-yard scramble – fumble (recovered)
As you’ll see above, quarterback Kirk Cousins had the most
trouble when the team was in 12 personnel sets. He was sacked, committed two
turnovers and had three overthrows. Minnesota didn’t use much play-action
either, which has always been a big part of Cousins’ success. On Sunday,
Cousins completed four of his nine play-action passes for 22 yards. He also
tossed one interception and scrambled for six yards. In total, Cousins used
play-action on 28.1 percent of his passing attempts (9-of-32). Overall, Minnesota
called play-action ten times, which equates to 16.7 percent of the Vikings’
total offensive plays.
They have been running the ball well, but haven’t hit on big
play-action passes yet. We can expect the frequency to increase in future weeks
to capitalize upon the strengths of this team.
In addition, of the team’s 60 offensive plays, Cousins was
under center 72% of the time. With the new offensive scheme, Minnesota’s
coaches have emphasized putting him under center and moving the pocket by
design. However, when Cousins was on the move with boots, free rushers were frequently
coming his way.
Cousins had the most success within 11 personnel sets. The
Vikings frequently used this package when they really needed to get yardage in
long-down situations. Perhaps the Vikings will consider trying to bring in a
third wide receiver that possesses speed and vertical ability. It would help
open the offense and add another dimension to the passing concepts. The
interior of Minnesota’s offensive line also has to improve. On my first review
of the broadcast cut, Garrett Bradbury struggled in pass protection and was
getting backed into Cousins on a few passing attempts. I plan to break down
this area in detail when the All-22 film is released this week.
Finally, the team didn’t use as much 22 or 13 personnel.
During Week 1, they ran the ball extremely well out of those sets. Instead,
they thrived on the ground when C.J. Ham was on the field. Out of 21 personnel,
Dalvin Cook broke free for a 75-yard touchdown. The play was set up beautifully
by motion, which drew the cornerback out of alignment. He got too far up the
field, Cook cut back and exploited a bad angle by safety Darnell Savage. Prior
to Kirk Cousins’ costly interception, the Vikings’ running game was thriving.
They averaged 6.7 yards per carry on a nine-play mix of both 21 and 12
personnel.
Overall Impression
The encouraging aspect of the first two weeks is how well
Minnesota has run the ball. Dalvin Cook has been sensational and the blocking scheme
complements his skills. Minnesota’s offense averaged 7.0 yards per play and 7.3
yards per carry, but they still lost the game. This statistic alone shows how undisciplined
they were playing.
The defense struggled in the early stages of Sunday’s game,
but rebounded. Minnesota’s pass rush was dominant and they rotated defensive linemen
frequently. Defensive end Everson Griffen was again impacting plays and performing
at an elite level. He is returning to 2017 form, which is an encouraging sign
for the Vikings’ defense. Like usual, safety Harrison Smith was making plays
all over the field and Jayron Kearse stepped up in the “big nickel” package. Cornerbacks
Mike Hughes and Mackensie Alexander are set to return soon, which will help
take the team’s defense to another level.
Now, the Vikings have to find a way to bolster the passing
concepts and get more out of their biggest investment – Kirk Cousins.
Thank you Daniel... Is part of the issue that the Vikings run blocking is much better than their pass blocking... Not defending Cousins however it should be noted he was pressured on 60% of his passing plays...
ReplyDeleteGood Read. 8 yards from a win horrible Stefanski play call & Cousins refusal to throwball away when this play left him with pressure in his face & nobody open has me questioning the two most important decisionmakers for this Viking Offense. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteI really like your breakdown of personnel groups l would still this I'm 63 yrs. have played some never really could tell why sometimes a game fails.honest predictions say you lose to packers at home we had a chance 5hats the take away the Vikes are a power team the close finish shows this I saw Farve often make the same poor choice as Cousin did on Sunday. Our team has spent much time on fun blocking it has paid off now we watch for improvement at pass blocking my guess we'll see problems here all year hopefully by the end of season that will change it must if we want a deep run the Vikes are still on 10-6 pace skol from The Purplehaze
ReplyDeleteVery, very, very decision making by the play call when Cousins & Diggs had not been sharp at all. The mantra for the past 12 months has been run the ball more and he calls a pass play when the run has been working and Cousins is a turnover machine away from home. That's just the way it is. Be aggressive the entire game & smart, thats how Patriots play.
ReplyDelete