Here’s Where the Vikings Offense Ranks Through Week 3
Week 3 of the NFL season is behind us, and the Vikings fell short this past weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers, 28-24.
Now that we’ve seen a good sampling of NFL action, some may be curious to see how the Vikings statistical rankings compare to other teams across the league.
Today, we will be breaking down where the Vikings offense ranks as a whole, and where individual players stand in terms of their statistics. Shout out to Pro-Football-Reference, Pro Football Focus, and nfeloapp.com for the numbers that went into this article.
Team Offense
Total Offense
- Points Scored: 69 (T-15th)
- Total Yards: 1218 (3rd)
- Plays: 196 (18th)
- Yards per Play: 6.2 (2nd)
- First Downs: 66 (10th)
- Turnovers: 9 (Most)
- Penalties: 14 (T-3rd-fewest)
- PFF Grade: 76.3 (3rd)
- Total EPA/Play: -0.02 (T-13th)
Just like we discussed last week, the most frustrating part of the Vikings 0-3 start is the fact that they are moving the ball as well as anyone in the league on offense. They rank third in total yards and second in yards per play.
However, the turnovers continue to plague this team. The Vikings have the most turnovers in the league, and their seven fumbles have come at the worst possible moments.
Passing Offense
- Completions: 96 (1st)
- Passing Attempts: 138 (1st)
- Net Passing Yards: 1019 (2nd)
- Net Yards Per Attempt: 7.0 (5th)
- Passing Touchdowns: 9 (T-1st)
- Passing First Downs: 49 (2nd)
- Interceptions: 2 (T-12th most)
- Passing PFF Grade: 76.8 (6th)
- Pass Blocking PFF Grade: 72.7 (4th)
- Receiving PFF Grade: 73.1 (7th)
- EPA/Pass: 0.07 (14th)
Rushing Offense
- Carries: 50 (32nd)
- Rushing Yards: 199 (31st)
- Yards Per Carry: 4.0 (19th)
- Rushing TDs: 0
- Rushing First Downs: 9 (T-31st)
- Fumbles Lost: 7 (Most)
- Rushing PFF Grade: 61.9 (28th)
- Run Blocking PFF Grade: 69.8 (4th)
- EPA/Run: -0.39 (32nd)
The Vikings rushing offense got a bit better in Week 3, but overall, the Vikings remain a heavy passing offense. They have the most passing attempts compared to the fewest carries in the league. EPA is a bit more negative on the Vikings passing offense, but once again, that metric places the Vikings rushing offense at the very bottom of the league.
A bit surprisingly, PFF is a big fan of what the Vikings offensive line has done to start the year. Minnesota ranks fourth in both pass protection and run blocking through the first three weeks.
Individual Players
QB Kirk Cousins
- Completions: 96 (1st)
- Passing Attempts: 138 (1st)
- Completion Percentage: 69.6% (7th)
- Passing Yards: 1075 (1st)
- Passing TDs: 9 (1st)
- Interceptions: 2 (T-11th)
- PFF Grade: 77.6 (8th among QBs)
RB Alexander Mattison
- Carries: 39 (T-20th)
- Rushing Yards: 155 (18th)
- Yards Per Carry: 4.0 (T-22nd)
- Rushing TDs: 0
- Rushing First Downs: 7 (T-28th)
- PFF Grade: 58.5 (T-69th among RBs)
WR Justin Jefferson
- Targets: 38 (3rd)
- Receptions: 27 (3rd)
- Receiving Yards: 458 (1st)
- Receiving TDs: 1 (T-31st)
- Receiving First Downs: 20 (2nd)
- PFF Grade: 90.4 (3rd among WRs)
WR K.J. Osborn
- Targets: 15 (T-66th)
- Receptions: 7 (T-114th)
- Receiving Yards: 101 (T-76th)
- Receiving TDs: 2 (T-6th)
- Receiving First Downs: 5 (T-65th)
- PFF Grade: 50.2 (95th among WRs)
WR Jordan Addison
- Targets: 19 (T-47th)
- Receptions: 13 (T-39th)
- Receiving Yards: 185 (28th)
- Receiving TDs: 2 (T-6th)
- Receiving First Downs: 6 (T-54th)
- PFF Grade: 65.5 (T-53rd among WRs)
TE T.J. Hockenson
- Targets: 28 (T-11th)
- Receptions: 23 (8th)
- Receiving Yards: 179 (29th)
- Receiving TDs: 2 (T-6th)
- Receiving First Downs: 10 (T-21st)
- PFF Grade: 68.5 (11th among TEs)
NOTE: This article originally appeared on our sister-site, PurplePTSD.com.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
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