Analyzing the Minnesota Vikings historically bad run game
By Jordan Ison
The Minnesota Vikings offense is struggling in a big way, and being 32nd in the NFL in rushing yards this season is definitely not helping the cause.
The Minnesota Vikings ability to run the football this season is easily described in one word: atrocious. According to NFL.com, Minnesota is averaging 69.8 rushing yards per game. That is the worst average in the NFL. They are averaging 2.7 yards per carry, which is the worst average since the 1953 New York Giants, according to Frank Schwab.
After being known for a monstrous running game for many years, it seems as if the Vikings have to fight for every yard they get. So what has caused this horrific downward spiral?
It’s easy to blame injuries. In Week 2, Adrian Peterson fell to the injury bug, tearing his lateral meniscus and being placed on the IR. But, Vikings fans, let’s be honest, our run game was no better against the Titans or Packers at the beginning of the season, when AP was healthy and only mustered 50 yards on 31 attempts. Even if the injury to Peterson in Week 2 would have not happened, it’s hard to see the Vikings rushing attack being any better.
First and foremost, our offensive line has been a big issue this season; not just for our run game, but our entire offense. The Vikings have faced many injuries on the O-line this season. Matt Kalil, Andre Smith and Jake Long are all on the injured reserve.
These injuries are forcing the Vikings to really dig deep to find offensive linemen. We have definitely seen the effects of a poor offensive line. Though linemen rarely get credit during the successful games, they get plenty of blame when things start to crumble. It seems as if our running backs have had to move left and right to try to find a hole in the defense, then getting only 1-3 yards each carry.
It also seems as if Sam Bradford has been hit when dropping back more times than not. Obviously, this points towards the offensive line being the main problem.
An outsider NFL fan may look at our roster and think the lack of success in the run game is coming from the lack of talent in the backfield, but Vikings fans know Jerick Mckinnon and Matt Asiata real well. That shouldn’t be the case. In 2014, when Adrian Peterson was out for the season due to suspension, Asiata and Mckinnon combined for 1,108 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns, According to ESPN.com.
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With that being said, the Vikings are on pace to rush for about 950 yards and 7 touchdowns, a drastic decrease from 2014. McKinnon, Asiata and new-comer Ronnie Hillman have the ability to be a solid backfield, but when the offensive line is forcing the backs to run horizontally rather that vertically, it’s nearly impossible to find success.
The final reason the Vikings have struggled so much to run the football is the fact that other teams just don’t fear our passing game. Bradford has played well enough, but with the knowledge of the weak offensive line, the opposing team knows Sam won’t have the time to get the ball downfield. With this in mind, teams can stack the box and send blitzes early and often. With so many defenders getting into the backfield, Bradford, Asiata, McKinnon or whoever has the football is unable to produce positive yards.
In conclusion, the Vikings have one serious problem that they need to address: the O-line. A better offensive line leads to a better run game, which leads to a better downfield pass game, which leads to longer drives and more time for the defense to rest. Almost all of our struggles can be linked back to the offensive line
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Whether it’s due to injury or just under-performing, the Vikings have a tough situation on their hands. The offensive line must get better if we want to get back to the 5-0 form we were in during the early stages of the season. But fans should believe in Zimmer. He will turn it around, get some fire under these players and get back to the winning recipe that we got used to for 5 weeks.
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