Vikings Offense Has Chance to Get Well Against Tampa Bay’s Struggling D
By Dan Zinski
The Vikings could really use a vacation from all these top-of-the-line defenses. Thank goodness this week they get to play the Buccaneers.
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The last two weeks, Minnesota has run up against two of the best defenses in the NFL in Detroit and Buffalo. Both teams are very good at rushing the passer, and that showed up on the field in a big way.
Bridgewater looked every bit the rookie out there against two teams that really get after the QB. This week, Teddy will get a chance to shine like he did against the atrocious Falcons defense.
Facing the Falcons, who mounted zero pass rush against the Vikings and struggled all day to deal with the speed of Jarius Wright and Jerick McKinnon, Bridgewater threw for 317 yards and posted a 98.9 passer rating. He also averaged 10.57 yards per pass attempt.
He wasn’t sacked a single time by the Falcons and, not surprisingly given such an anemic pass rush, didn’t commit a single turnover.
That was the Teddy we want to see every week: not spectacular but very efficient; not getting hit and not turning the ball over.
We haven’t seen much of that Teddy the last two weeks. Against Detroit he threw 3 picks while averaging just 5.08 yards per pass attempt and being sacked 8 times. Against Buffalo, he threw 2 picks while averaging 6.04 yards per attempt and being sacked 5 times.
The Vikings’ offensive line has shouldered much of the blame from fans and media for the bad performances of the past two weeks, but some of it is on Bridgewater as well. And Teddy has admitted as much.
Here’s the simple fact of the matter: The Vikings’ offense is a work-in-progress in many areas, and that reality game out loudly and clearly against two of the NFL’s best defenses.
This isn’t rocket science. Take the pressure and good coverage away and Teddy shines. Send pass rushers after him and cover his receivers and he looks like a rookie.
This weekend, Teddy will get a chance to shine against a Tampa Bay defense that at times this season has looked utterly woeful and helpless.
Behind the leadership of head coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, the Buccaneers have fallen completely off a cliff defensively. Football Outsiders ranks them 30th in overall defensive efficiency after six games, 31st against the pass but a respectable 13th against the rush (which only tells you how bad their pass defense has been).
By the old-fashioned yards-per-game measure, the Buccaneers are 32nd – dead last – in total defense. They are last against the pass and 25th against the run.
If you want to appreciate how dismal the Bucs have been, just look at the passing performances that have been put on against them.
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Two weeks ago, Joe Flacco went for 306 yards and 5 TDs on 21-of-29 passing in leading the Ravens to a 48-17 victory.
Three weeks ago, Drew Brees went for 371 and 2 TDs though he did get picked off twice. Tampa gave up 37 points in an overtime loss, blowing an 11-point lead along the way.
In week 3, Matt Ryan and the Falcons laid 56 points on Leslie Frazier’s unit, with Ryan throwing for 286 yards and 3 TDs on 21-of-24 passing.
The yardage isn’t the issue, it’s the accuracy. Quarterbacks are not being challenged by the Tampa Bay pass rush and coverage. The Bucs are giving up yards in big chunks and giving up points at a frightening rate.
Only six games into the season, the Buccaneers are at -84 in point differential, losing games by an average of two touchdowns. The Vikings feel like they’re having a bad season but their average margin of loss is only -5.7.
So, basically take the misery of the Vikings and almost triple it. That’s how bad it’s been for Tampa Bay.
What exactly has gone wrong with Leslie Frazier’s unit? The complaints you hear from Buccaneers fans and media folks will sound very familiar.
The Bucs can’t get off the field on third down. They can’t hold leads. They have too many coverage break downs. They have too many guys getting out of their gaps.
Basically, they are playing with a lack of discipline and proper technique. Such issues were hallmarks of Leslie Frazier’s defense in Minnesota, so it’s no surprise that his Tampa Bay unit is playing so poorly.
Frazier I’m sure spent the bye week looking at the tape for all the correctable mistakes he could find. Bucs fans right now are thinking that hiring Frazier was the mistake and the only way to correct it is by sending him packing.
Will anything change for the Buccaneers this week? God I hope not.
Oct 19, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) throws a pass during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo beats Minnesota 17 to 16. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
If Tampa Bay mounts the same sort of defensive effort against Minnesota that they showed against Baltimore, New Orleans and Atlanta, it will be a good day for Teddy Bridgewater.
If the Vikings can get Bridgewater any time at all, he should have no trouble diagnosing Leslie Frazier’s vanilla coverages. Frazier has gone away from Tampa-2 somewhat this year, incorporating more Cover-3 and man looks, but the results haven’t exactly been stellar.
The Vikings need only execute their offense and they should have one of their best weeks of the season so far. I’m looking for big games from Jerick McKinnon, Jarius Wright and Greg Jennings this week.
Yes, I think this is the week Jennings goes off. The veteran should be able to work those badly coached Leslie Frazier cornerbacks and find lots of open space in which to operate.
With less pass rush in his face, Bridgewater should have time to find open men like he did against Atlanta. And the running game should be able to tear up Tampa Bay.
Even with a banged-up offensive line, I have every confidence that the Vikings can handle Tampa Bay. That’s Leslie Frazier on the other side. We know what he’s all about. We know that, even with the bye week, there’s a great chance his men won’t be ready to play.
And once the s–t hits the fan, Frazier won’t have a clue what to do about it.
It’s a lesson Viking fans learned all-too-well over the past few years: If your offense is ailing, just take a big dose of Leslie Frazier defense and it will feel fine. The Vikings should be salivating at the chance to chug down a big bottle of Leslie Frazier S–t Defense Miracle Tonic.