The Vikings prepared for their test against the Cowboys and flunked, knowing they failed before ever seeing the report card. Well, the report card is in and Pro Football Focus used its red marker a lot.
Let’s start with the offense…
Among regular offensive players, only two graded above 70 on a scale of 0-100. Left guard Ezra Cleveland led the team with an 85.2 grade and right tackle Brian O’Neill scored a 71.9.
Blake Brandel, who took over at left tackle after Christian Darrisaw was concussed for the second time in eight days, had the worst offensive grade on the team: 31.3. There have been worse games, but his was very bad.
Kirk Cousins isn’t going to want to show his parents his report card, either. He posted 51.1 grade, though in fairness he had very little time to throw and was sacked seven times.
Who allowed the sacks?
Brandel and Darrisaw each allowed two and Ed Ingram, Johnny Mundt and Dalvin Cook were tagged with the other three.
Now the defense…
Shockingly, there were some solid scores despite the Cowboys racking up 458 yards and scoring on eight straight possessions to start the game.
Khyiris Tonga played 32 snaps and scored a 90.6. Danielle Hunter played 50 snaps and had an 83.6 grade, and safety Camryn Bynum earned a 70.6 grade as he was in on eight tackles and only allowed one catch for eight yards in his coverage.
Four starters aren’t going to want to see their scores:
- Jordan Hicks: 46.2
- Za’Darius Smith: 46.3
- Chandon Sullivan: 48.9
- Andrew Booth Jr.: 51.0
Hicks was targeted three times and all three were caught for 102 yards and two touchdowns, including the 68-yard strike to Tony Pollard in the third quarter that gave Dallas a 30-3 lead.
Booth Jr. allowed seven receptions on eight targets for 85 yards. he was also flagged for one penalty.
Smith, who leads the NFL with 56 pressures this season, had just one against the Cowboys. The big question is if the knee injury that made him questionable played a role in his lack of production. We’ll all find out sooner than later as the Vikings play Thursday night against the Patriots.
