Kevin O’Connell Heeded the Call — and It Worked.
Last week, I asked Kevin O’Connell to let the run game develop and serve as the platform for building the rest of the offense. On Sunday in Detroit, the Vikings’ head coach heeded the call, especially in the first half.
VikingsTerritory looks at how Kevin O’Connell heeded the call and leaned more on the Vikings’ rushing attack in his team’s win over the Detroit Lions.
Minnesota went to Detroit with an obvious plan to win the physical battle. A key component to that on the offensive side of the ball was establishing the run. The team did a fantastic job in the first half, which started with an 11-yard run from Aaron Jones on the first offensive play. Jones then started the second drive with a 14-yard run, the perfect scenario to get an offense going.
Kevin O’Connell Embraced Balanced Playcalling in Vikings’ Win at DET
The second half started in a similar vein with Jones rushing for nine yards on the first two plays of the half. Unfortunately, Jones picked up a shoulder injury, and those two carries were the end of his input into the game. Jones finished with 78 yards off nine carries at an average of 8.7 yards per carry, while also adding 20 yards on two receptions. Impressive work from the veteran back.
Jordan Mason Struggles Again
There wasn’t the same level of success from the Vikings’ other RB, with Jordan Mason only managing 36 yards from 10 carries at an average of 3.6 yards per carry. The Vikings’ rushing attack didn’t have the same juice without Jones in the game, but after a slow start, Mason did start to get going. The highlight was the 13-yard run to the Lions’ yard line, which also brought about O’Connell getting up to his old tricks.
At the one-yard line, thanks to a holding penalty in Detroit in the Mason run. Minnesota ran the ball on first down and lost a yard. With a seven-point lead, the smart play was to keep running the ball and make the Lions use their timeouts.
Instead, O’Connell called two passing plays, which resulted in an incompletion and a sack, before Will Reichard connected with a 20-yard field goal to increase the lead to 10. Ultimately, the Vikings won the game, but they could have burned over a minute off the clock or made Dan Campbell use his timeouts on defense. Making the finale of the game more comfortable than it was.
It was another example of the Vikings HC leaning on his favoured passing attack, only for it not to work out. Would it have been different if Jones had still been in the game? Possibly, but history shows us O’Connell likes to turn to his QB in the big moments. He did it again at the end of the game when McCarthy hit Jalen Nailor on a 16-yard pass on third down to seal the win.
The Rushing Attack Moving Forward
A much healthier offensive line certainly helped the Vikings but another injury to Jones is a concern. Early suggestions are that the teams RB1 expects to play against the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday. However, despite the AC joint sprain being said to be minor, the shoulder injury is the latest on an ever-growing list of injuries for the soon-to-be 31-year-old.
Jones has already missed four games this season due to a hamstring injury. The age and injury history of the Vikings’ backfield, along with the drop in big-play ability and pass-blocking (an area Mason really struggled on Sunday), have people looking to the future at the position.
A trade for a running back before the trade deadline would seem very unlikely with Jones seemingly good to go. When it comes to next season, Minnesota needs to think hard about adding a young, dynamic playmaker to the team.
Maybe that will encourage O’Connell to lean on his rushing attack more? For now, we need to see a balanced offense like we got on Sunday over the rest of the season.
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