PFF Grades Tell Concerning Story of Vikings Secondary
The Minnesota Vikings won their eighth game of the season on Sunday, more than many expected them to achieve all season. The performance against the Tennessee Titans was good, but there were also things to be worried about. The PFF grades tell a concerning story for the Vikings’ secondary. It was a rough outing for the group in Nashville.
PFF Grades Tell Concerning Story of Vikings Secondary
According to the Pro Football Focus grading system, the Vikings’ six main defensive backs were the Vikings’ six worst players on defense on Sunday. They were graded as follows:
- Stephon Gilmore – 60.1
- Camryn Bynum – 59.7
- Byron Murphy – 59.1
- Harrison Smith – 55.6
- Shaq Griffin – 54.6
- Josh Metellus – 29.7
On a day when the Vikings’ DL and LBs were dominant, there were some concerning moments in the secondary. The 98-yard touchdown pass from Will Levis to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was obvious — a play Metellus won’t enjoy watching back. There were others, too, including the 51-yard touchdown pass from Levis to Calvin Ridley, which was fortunately called back because of an illegal formation penalty on the Titans. The very next play, Levis went deep again to Bryce Oliver for 33 yards.
At that point, the Vikings’ defense looked to be on the ropes and in danger of letting the Titans back into a game that should have been long over.
The Vikings’ defense stiffened and held the Titans to a field goal. They would be the last points Tennessee would score, turning the ball over on downs and via an interception in their remaining three offensive drives. However, some big chunk plays were still given up through the air. Levis was under constant pressure and was sacked by the Vikings five times, but it seemed to always be for big yardage whenever he could complete a pass.
The Nature of the Brian Flores Defense
The Vikings defense has a couple of weaknesses. They struggle to get penetration and pressure on the quarterback from the interior of the defensive line. They also have issues in coverage, and the two problems feed each other. The nature of this Brian Flores defense is to use lots of disguises and show a blitz. They will either then run the blitz or drop out of it. This asks a lot of players in the secondary.
If the Vikings successfully confuse the opposition at the line of scrimmage, then the defense feasts. If the quarterback manages to get the ball out quickly and beat the blitz, the Vikings are short-handed in the secondary and give up explosive plays. If the Vikings then only rush four and struggle to create pressure, the opposing quarterback has time in the pocket, and explosive plays happen. It’s a cycle we’ve seen the Vikings get stuck in a few times this season.
The Defense Going Forward
In the long term, the Vikings need to improve in the two areas, which should be a priority of the offseason. The top CBs on the roster are all out of contract, and while Murphy has been playing well enough to earn a new contract. The Vikings desperately need a genuine CB1 next year. The Vikings’ run defense has been excellent this season and is a great platform for the defense to work from. Adding a genuine pass-rush threat to the IDL, who doesn’t lose the Vikings anything in their run defense, is the other dream scenario for the defense next year.
For now, they have to work with what they have available. Flores will continue to be exotic in his play calling, and the Vikings’ defense will succeed or fail in getting to the QB. The way this defense works means there will always be an opportunity for an explosive play if the offense gets it right.
However, the secondary still needs to hold up better than it did in Tennessee. Their next task is to stop this year’s first overall pick as the Vikings go to Chicago to take on Caleb Williams and the Bears — who haven’t thrown a touchdown pass in four games since coming out of the bye week.
The Bears have plenty of big-play threats with their trio of WRs, DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze.
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