This Is the Vikings Biggest Problem in 2020
Dustin Baker
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Finger-pointing at the 2020 Minnesota Vikings veers in the direction of Kirk Cousins, playcalling, “running the ball too much,” or field-goal kicking. Cousins is Pro Football Focus’ ninth-highest graded quarterback in 2020. So, that grievance is largely bogus. On playcalling and frequency of the run, Minnesota ranks sixth in the business in yards gained per game and fifth in redzone efficiency. That talking point, too, is misguided. As for field-goal kicking, it is valid criticism. The Vikings have converted 70% of field goals – third-worst in the NFL. A decision on the fate of Dan Bailey this offseason is imminent and will reverberate through the team’s special teams plans. It is also unlikely that special teams coordinator, Marwan Maalouf, will be part of the team’s 2021 plans.
When a team’s offense ranks sixth in the league from a yards perspective, something is working. Credit can be issued to Gary Kubiak, Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen for success in this metric.
The other side of the ball is the culprit, and it’s indisputable. Uncharacteristically, the Vikings rank 27th in both yards allowed and points allowed. During 2019, Minnesota finished as fifth-best in the NFL in the points-allowed parameter. Put simply – the defense is not the same nor anywhere remotely similar to a typical Mike Zimmer defense.
The most glaring problem for these Pandemic Vikings is the tackling – or lack thereof.
Most Missed Tackles in NFC
Through Week 15 (stats do not update until a full week slate of games), the Vikings have missed 107 tackles. That is the most in the NFC. For context, the San Francisco 49ers are to blame for 65 missed tackles. The 107 missed tackles ranks 27th leaguewide (or sixth-worst).
That number keeps looming – 27th. Points allowed, yards allowed, missed tackles. This emulates a trend. The 2020 Vikings defense is a bottom-barrel bunch. That can be attributed to injury, another fair caveat. But offensive firepower can only serve as deodorant to a degree. Accountability lies with the defense. This should be emphatically evident to the eye-test as it assuredly flushes out in the statistics.
In 2018 and 2019, Minnesota ranked second in the NFL in [fewest] missed tackles – in each season respectively. Two years ago, the missed-tackles number was 76. In 2019, it was 67. This year through 15 games, the total is already at 107.
Tackling matters.
Anthony Barr vs. Eric Wilson
An emblematic example of this variance can be found in the stylistic differences between Anthony Barr and Eric Wilson. Barr has missed nearly all of 2020 with a pectoral muscle injury, and Wilson has gobbled his playing time. Wilson does a lot of noteworthy work on the football field. He is notable for big plays, pass coverage, durability, and a noticeable motor. But his tackling prowess pales in comparison to that of Barr.
Last season, Barr recorded an astute 2.5% missed tackle percentage. That mark plopped him among the NFL’s Top 5 of all linebackers in 2019.
In 2020, Eric Wilson’s missed tackle percentage is 10.9%. While that is not an atrocious figure, it is over four times less effective than Barr. For volume tacklers like Barr and Wilson, the discrepancy is glaring.
Wilson is eligible for a new contract this spring. If he does not receive it from the Vikings, his inability to tackle (at least in comparison to his counterpart, Barr) will be the reason. Tackling is a hallmark for NFL defenses – especially one skippered by Mike Zimmer.
The Result = NFL’s 6th-Worst Defense
27th in Points Allowed. 27th in Yards Allowed. 27th in Tackling. The analysis of these three regrettable metrics causes a “no wonder the team is 6-9” mindset. Each of these parameters feeds into the other. Tackling prevents opponents’ yards. The abstinence of yards prevents points scored by the opposition. A lack of points allowed on the scoreboard promotes winning. The Vikings surrender too many points – 29.3 per game. The reason the group has found six wins in 2020 is no thanks to the defense.
There is hope, however. Minnesota will welcome the return of some distinguished tacklers in September 2021 – Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Michael Pierce, and Danielle Hunter. None of those men struggle – at all – with tackling.