Why the Vikings are 0-3 is pretty simple. They have nine turnovers, the defense is getting shredded, and the offense is terrible in the red zone. It’s really that simple.
Minnesota’s defense ranks 26th in points allowed (27.3 per game). They’re 25th in pass defense (261.7 per game) and 18th in rush defense (120.7 per game) even though the Chargers ran the ball just 15 times for 30 yards without Austin Ekeler on Sunday.
Being 18th versus the run may well be a mirage because when the Eagles chose to stuff the ball down Minnesota’s throat in Week 2 they went for 259 yards.
As Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller wrote, the blitz-happy Vikings defense is leaving Kirk Cousins and the offense no room for error.
“Defensively, this is where I’ve got a little bit of a bone to pick,” said former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, who now works as a sideline analyst for the Minnesota Vikings Radio Network. “I love that Brian Flores is blitzing. I love that we’re a different looking defense from last year. I love that we’re the No. 1 pressure team in the NFL. But what didn’t happen today, look, four times we hit Justin Herbert. We got one sack, only because Danielle Hunter has extremely long extend-o arms and he was able to knock the ball out and get a sack/fumble.”
Herbert was blitzed on 82% of L.A.’s snaps, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, and he was hit just four times and sacked once. He completed 40 of 47 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns. He made it look easy even though the Vikings were attacking him with five or more defenders almost all game. The blitzes and pass rushers just didn’t get close.
“Our blitzing, I don’t care how fancy it looks, it was ineffective,” Leber said.
“If you’re going to pressure that often, you have to make the offense feel you. You have to make the quarterback feel you. We did not do that. We cannot win a one-on-one pass rush in the middle of that offensive line, on the edges. Yes, we bring a lot, but we’re stressing out our secondary because whether we play man coverage or three under three deep, we can’t continue to do that for four quarters without affecting the quarterback, getting the QB to break the pocket, get him on the run and get him flustered.
“Blitz all you want, it’s not effective. Something’s gotta change and we gotta find some freaking dogs that can win a one-on-one pass rush or this is gonna be a really, really long season.”
“Can’t make this stuff up”
This sucks. pic.twitter.com/FaIt7hvPnv— Ben Leber (@nacholeber) September 24, 2023
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell recognized how much time Herbert had to throw despite the constant blitzing, saying the defense has to “find a way to get home.”
“Hopefully we can get Marcus (Davenport) going at some point. I think that’s been an element that we’ve been missing just his physicality and his versatility as a guy on all three downs,” said O’Connell.
Davenport has played just four snaps due to an ankle injury. He had half a sack last season with the Saints and the Vikings are hoping he’s the answer to what ails a defense that constantly blitzes without positive effect.
