Vikings Film Room: Sam Darnold's performance vs. Titans was a bold statement toward a potential Super Bowl
The Minnesota Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans by a score of 23-13 in a game that shouldn't have been that close. Throughout the game, the Vikings were the dominant force. They held the Titans offense in check with just 196 yards outside of the flukey 98-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and offensively scored three […]
The Minnesota Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans by a score of 23-13 in a game that shouldn't have been that close.
Throughout the game, the Vikings were the dominant force. They held the Titans offense in check with just 196 yards outside of the flukey 98-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and offensively scored three touchdowns that should have been a third, but that was dropped by Jalen Nailor.
The offense as a whole was up and down, but their explosive nature came out on Sunday. Let's dive into the film and look at Sam Darnold's game, which was excellent.
Sam Darnold was excellent
The biggest issue for the Vikings this season has been consistency. There are games where the team thrives with others seeing too much variance. Last week's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars showed that Darnold was using good process but the results were poor at best.
On Sunday against the Titans, we got the best of Darnold. He not only played mistake-free football, he found a way to generate explosives. Darnold generated an EPA/play of 0.27 with an aDOT of 9.9 yards. He attacked the Titans secondary who didn't have L'Jarius Sneed consistently and found success.
Let's start early on in the game. Darnold found wide receiver Jordan Addison for a 43-yard touchdown on a dagger concept with the Titans running a zone blitz.
There are so many great elements to this play. First, Darnold steps up in the pocket knowing he's going to get some kind of hit in the pocket. That doesn't phase him, as he hits Addison in stride.
The defense the Titans are running is a version of a zone blitz, as Jeffery Simmons drops back into coverage. When you do this, it will leave spots open in the zone. That's one of the reasons why dagger is so impactful against the Vikings' defense.
The other interesting element of this play is the creative design. Justin Jefferson running a hitch route on the near side of the play allows Addison to have an open lane to the end zone.
There were a lot of instances of Darnold staying in the pocket and delivering a great pass.
Another play-action pass from the Vikings. Darnold is waiting here for something to open up down the field. It's a 20-yard out route that takes time to develop. There is some interior pressure here and it doesn't phase Darnold.
Jefferson takes some time to get open and he does. Darnold attacks down the field once Jefferson makes his break and connects for a huge gain. Darnold also took a big hit on the play but the willingness to stand in the pocket is a huge factor
He wasn't just great at staying patient in the pocket. Darnold knew when to bail the pocket.
Five-man pressure from the Titans and Darnold sees the pocket collapsing. He sees Jefferson create some separation on a double move and slides between Cam Robinson and Blake Brandel to hit him on the run. An excellent throw and catch from Darnold and Jefferson.
The Vikings did a great job on Sunday getting Darnold's confidence to sustain the success that he needs to thrive with the Vikings. If they can keep this up, a Super Bowl run is a real possibility.
Vikings Film Room: Major change on offense vs. Titans brings mixed results, could be a mistake
Did the Vikings make the right choice by starting Dalton Risner?
