The Vikings Latest Win Gave Us An Important Kevin O’Connell Evolution
Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Heading into the 2024 season there were questions coming about Kevin O’Connell’s play calling and his philosophy around the rushing attack. Through his first two seasons O’Connell’s offense had ranked 28th in rush attempts. The hope was that this fell on personnel, that the combination of an aging Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, and Ty Chandler weren’t effective enough warrant the commitment.
In the off-season the Vikings added former Packer Aaron Jones in hopes of proving that theory correct.
So far that is exactly what’s happened.
The team is now 12th in rush attempts and Jones has rewarded the Vikings faith in him by bringing stability to the running game. He is top 15 in yards after contact (454), yards per attempt (4.4), and runs of ten yards or more (15) for backs with 100 or more rushing attempts according to PFF. He has also stayed relatively healthy as he has played in all ten games despite a few where he got banged up and missed snaps.
One of those few was Week 5 against the Jets. Jones left in the second quarter with a right hip injury. The offense had a hard time moving the ball after his departure as Ty Chandler averaged 2.1 yards on 14 attempts giving shades of the previous two seasons.
The performance left questions about how the offense would respond if Jones missed time or was ineffective. How would KOC navigate his play calling?
Against the Titans, on Sunday, we got an answer.
The Vikings backs faced a stout defensive interior in Jeffrey Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat. Jones had a brutal 2.6 yards per carry on 15 attempts and Cam Akers put up 2.5 yards on ten attempts. Their 22.6 percent success rate was good for lowest of the season.
Yet, the offense succeeded. Had Jalen Nailor not dropped an easy touchdown, they would’ve blown out the Titans.
Despite a largely futile running game KOC did not abandon it, and the team finished with 33 attempts (eight for Sam Darnold) compared to 32 passing attempts. Previous iterations would have seen KOC abandon the run and offer predictability to his play calling. The balance he instead chose enabled the team to win the time of possession battle (32:31) and allowed for the threat of play action and big play hunting.
Play action delivered the longest play of the day with a 47-yard touchdown to Jordan Addison:
Jordan Addison used the speed burst cheat on this touchdown 😳😳
Odds via @BetMGM
Anytime touchdown (+260)✅💰
— BetFTW (@Bet_ForTheWin) November 17, 2024
Addison has been a topic of discussion as the team has not been able to replicate his standout rookie season where he had 911 yards and ten touchdowns. His targets have dropped from 6.4 last year to 5.1 this season. However, 16 of his 24 catches this season have resulted in first downs and Sunday was a reminder that when Darnold looks Addison’s way (eight targets), the offense has another weapon to move the chains and produce big plays.
Darnold had the highest PFF grade (90.8) of his career as he finished with three touchdowns (one rushing) and most importantly no interceptions. His decision making was decisive and he didn’t have any passes that were in harms way. The willingness to fight for balance, despite struggling with the run, kept theballsasan appropriate load on Sam’s shoulders. Darnold displayed all the tools that made his draft profile so tantalizing. He regularly maneuvered within the pocket and showcased his mobility when the pocket collapsed.
Sam Darnold escaping pressure and making plays outside of structure against the Titans pic.twitter.com/teBvR54UDx
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 18, 2024
The QB targeted 10 different receivers indicating development with his read progression and willingness find the optimal option. These are the sort of things that are possible when you stubbornly commit to balance and don’t make your signal caller try to overcome his shortcomings.
On a day where the running game was held in check, KOC made strides in not abandoning it. He is progressing towards the balance that eluded him in previous seasons and streamlining the teams run concepts to set up play action and avoid predictability. Despite hiccups in the two losses, the production from the defense is elite and Darnold is showing resolute confidence by rebounding from recent poor performances and getting more weapons involved. If KOC can prove that Sunday was the start of a trend and not a mirage, and continue to prioritize the tun even when it’s not working, the sky’s the limit for this team.
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