Pro Football Focus does about as good of a job as any analytics company at breaking down NFL games with extreme detail.
In this case, PFF digs deep to help explain why the Vikings couldn’t beat the Browns. According to PFF, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen was a big reason why Minnesota couldn’t put any pressure on Cleveland third-string quarterback, Brian Hoyer
Meanwhile, one of the Vikings’ longest serving players, defensive end Jared Allen (-4.9) found himself kept very quiet by left tackle Joe Thomas. As has happened to many players before him, Allen just simply couldn’t find an answer to consistently get by the Browns’ most successful first-round draft pick. Finishing the game with just one quarterback hurry from 52 pass rushing opportunities, good for a horrendous Pass Rushing Productivity Rating of just 1.4, Allen simply failed to put Brian Hoyer under pressure.
It was the theme for the day for the Vikings’ defense, with rookie defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd the team’s highest-graded pass rusher at just +0.8 and on a day when they put Hoyer under pressure on just 12 drop-backs, it goes a long way to explaining why the Vikings eventually fell to the Browns.
Allen wasn’t the only Viking to have a poor game, but when Minnesota’s best pass-rusher struggles, it has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the defensive line.
