Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell is showing growth in crucial area that will give fans hope for the future
There is hope for the Vikings’ offense moving forward
The Minnesota Vikings lost a tough game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland 24-21.
Over the course of Sunday morning’s game, there were many different ways that the Vikings had a chance to win, but they continued to shoot themselves in the foot. One of those was on offense, where quarterback Carson Wentz showed flashes of really good play, but there were too many issues.
The two biggest issues among the fanbase on the offensive side of the football are the offensive line and head coach Kevin O’Connell‘s play calling. The lack of cohesive play from the offensive line has been the target of fans for years, and the injuries to the unit haven’t made things any better.
Kevin O’Connell’s play calling is showing growth
As far as O’Connell’s play calling is concerned, the biggest issue has been the lack of the use of quick game. He’s mainly wanted to focus on the intermediate and deep levels of the field. Over the first two games, the Vikings were charted running just three quick game passing concepts, which ranked them 30th in the NFL. Not great when you consider who is playing quarterback and the injuries to the offensive line.
Going into Sunday’s game, we were hoping to see more of that and on the first drive, O’Connell delivered in a big way.
There were a lot of really smart play calls on the first drive to march down the field, which is a great sign for the future, as making schematic adjustments hasn’t always been a strength of O’Connell. Let’s break down the seven pass plays from the opening drive to see that growth.
Speed out to Justin Jefferson
This is a simple speed out to Jefferson, and it’s eerily similar to the opening play they had against the Atlanta Falcons. This one worked much better because of Wentz’s footwork. They got an easy gain and setup a run for the first down on the next play.
Hitch routes
One of the easiest things you can do is run stick. It’s a simple spacing concept to get the ball out quickly. Against the zone concept the Steelers have, it’s an easy pitch and catch to Jefferson. Plays like this are important to keep the ball moving in drives moving. There isn’t anything sexy about it, but football isn’t always about being flashy.
Quick game with an outlet
They tried to get Adam Thielen open on a hitch route like the above play, but it wasn’t there. This is where some of O’Connell’s schematic brilliance comes into play. He gave this play a backside option as a check down to Jordan Mason, and Wentz takes it for a nice gain. Simple reads and throws make things easier for your quarterback.
Justin Jefferson gets a free release
This one ended up being very well done by O’Connell. Before this clip starts, they motion into an empty set against a standard 2-deep zone coverage. It gives Jefferson a free release and this is akin to a quick game concept, as Wentz drops back and rips it over the middle. This is the O’Connell specail, making things easy for his offense.
Screen game is improving
The Vikings’ screen game is one that needs a lot of work. O’Connell hasn’t had the greatest designs or execution in this area, and I believe this is one of his best designs. He loves to call play-action concepts from under center and this is a good one to use in the screen game. Jefferson takes this ball and nearly gets a first down, but Will Fries went too far upfield, and it ended up costing the Vikings.
Speed out nearly scores a touchdown
This one has been in O’Connell’s bag for some time. He loves getting the ball to his explosive receivers on speed outs and letting them create after the catch. Jefferson gets this ball and nearly jukes out the linebacker, but he slipped on the turf. Unfortunately, that was a theme for Jefferson throughout the game. Expect to see a lot more of this throughout the season.
Carson Wentz ruins the drive
This is where having a better player at quarterback would be a huge factor. The Steelers send a blitz which springs Patrick Queen on a free rush. He ends up doing a delayed blitz with Mason releasing instead of blocking. This is likely 5-0 protection, meaning that it’s one lineman per defender, but it’s structured well enough to spring Queen.
What Wentz is doing here is incredibly frustrating. He is looking right at Jefferson getting incredibly open on the drag route and doesn’t throw the ball. He gets slammed by Queen, and the Vikings have to kick a field goal instead of scoring a touchdown. Little plays like that make a massive difference over the course of a game.
Final thoughts
There isn’t one single thing that will fix the Vikings’ offense. However, more play calling like what O’Connell did on the opening drive against the Steelers is going to be a big impact on the team both short and long-term.
However, O’Connell isn’t going to stop trying to attack down the field. Getting quick game going is going to be a big factor in those longer passing plays and it can help with the running game as well. With Wentz and J.J. McCarthy as the quarterbacks for this team, this is going to be a winning strategy. Will O’Connell be able to keep it going? We will find out in time.
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Vikings loss vs. Steelers highlighted major flaws that must be addressed immediately to make any kind of playoff run
The first-ever game in Dublin, Ireland, was quite the barnburner between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers. It got interesting at the end, but the Steelers left with the 24-21 win. The game exposed major flaws with the Vikings team, some of which can be addressed, while others are problems that won’t go away anytime […]
