After last season, the Minnesota Vikings went out on a mission to improve the offensive line. Lots of new money was spent to bring in players like Alex Boone and Andre Smith Jr., and there were some players coming back from injury that would improve the depth and overall quality of the offensive line. Everything was in place for the Vikings’ offensive line to go from one of the worst in the league to one of the best.
But then reality set in.
The Minnesota Vikings have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, and I’m being generous by not putting them dead last. Plenty of people will bash Adrian Peterson for the lack of production on the ground, but it’s not his fault.
This season #Vikings OL has gained Adrian Peterson an average of 6.9 INCHES before he is hit by a defender. That's...not good.
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) September 19, 2016
Adrian Peterson is the best running back of our generation. But when the offensive line can’t even give him a foot of space before being hit on every run, it wouldn’t matter if he was Superman.
As bad as the Vikings’ run blocking has been, the pass blocking has been just as horrendous. Sam Bradford didn’t have much time to throw, and was under pressure on nearly half of his drop backs. Bradford has shown he has the ability to make the big play down the field, but even the best quarterbacks in the league need time to set up, scan the field, and deliver an accurate pass.
This team will live and die by the offensive line. So far, the team has managed to win in spite of them, but that will surely even out throughout the season. If the Vikings have any hope of reaching the Super Bowl this year, the o-line will need to drastically step up their game.