Why Can’t the Vikings Defense Stop the Run?
Adam New
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There were several things wrong with the 2020 version of the Minnesota Vikings. The thing that irritated me the most was the abysmal run defense. I always expect a tough brand of football from the Vikings, if nothing else, a strong team and will battle for every inch — not a team that the opposition can just run all over. The free agency signing of Dalvin Tomlinson and the return of Michael Pierce were set to solve all the Vikings run defense problems. Right?
Wrong.
Opposing teams have rushed for 542 yards in the opening four games, at an average of 4.8 yards an attempt. You see, Tomlinson and Pierce are good players, and they have played reasonably well. Tomlinson started the season slowly in his new environment but has steadily been picking up the pace. Meanwhile, Pierce started fairly solidly coming back from opting out last year. A practice injury seems to have scuppered the progression of his start — after being rushed back to face the Browns. Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune tweeted that he could be out “a while” with his elbow injury.
I’m hearing today Michael Pierce could be out a while with the elbow injury he sustained last week, so T.J. Smith (who played for assistant D-line coach Imarjaye Albury at Arkansas) could give the Vikings added depth.
Dalvin Tomlinson could shift to NT with Pierce out. https://t.co/4KyKmvvKgB
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) October 5, 2021
Pro Football Focus grades the run defense of Pierce and Tomlinson at 64.4 and 69.3, respectively — by no means spectacular, but solid enough, with the caveat of two players finding their feet in a team. Plus, Pierce played hurt last week when he clearly shouldn’t have been. Those grades increased from last year’s starters Shamar Stephen and Jaleel Johnson, who graded at 59.7 and 33.3 for the 2020 season.
More Players Need to Step Up
The trouble is, two men on their own can not stop the run. Support from their teammates hasn’t been occurring enough. Team’s don’t have to worry about running through two big guys in the middle of the line if they can simply run around them. Something that has happened too often this season.
On the edge, Vikings’ Danielle Hunter has a reasonable 62.2 run defense grade. He is capable of much better, whereas DJ Wonnum has a poor 45.4 grade on the other side. It gets worse at linebacker. Eric Kendricks grades at 48.9 and Nick Vigil a 36.7. That’s some poor numbers for a defense that has been built to be strong against the run.
The rest of the players taking significant snaps in the defensive front grade are as follows: Defensive tackle Armon Watts (64.3), Sheldon Richardson (48.4), Everson Griffen (70.3), and Stephen Weatherley (63.1) are at defensive end. Lastly, Blake Lynch (61.3) caught the eye, making tackles against the Browns on Sunday.
Changes that can Be Made Moving Forward
Unfortunately, it looks like an enforced change — that isn’t going to help — is upon us. With the news, Michael Pierce is set to miss some time. Hopefully, it won’t be for long. In his absence, the general expectation is Dalvin Tomlinson switches to nose tackle, and we see more of Sheldon Richardson at 3T. Look back at those PFF grades, and don’t be surprised if we see plenty of Armon Watts on early downs.
It’s time for Everson Griffen to retake his old starting gig at right defensive end. He is still the second-best edge defender on this team at the ripe old age of 33. The sight of Anthony Barr back on a football would be a huge boost for the linebackers unit, and the Vikings run defense. He should be available this week, according to Mike Zimmer, and it’s been so long coming. It’s a case of believe it when I see it among Vikings fans.
The team as a whole also just needs to up their game, be consistent, and don’t leave gaping holes for simple long runs like the 33 yard run on 3rd and 20 to Kareem Hunt. There are fixes, and this team can defend against the run. It needs to start showing it.