Deception was the name of the game for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2016 NFL season, using more trick plays than any other team in the NFL.
Trick plays can be an exciting part of the any Minnesota Vikings football game. Whether it is a fake punt or a wildcat formation, these kind of plays can catch opposing teams off guard and sway the momentum of any contest.
The Vikings are a team who enjoy using these plays. In fact, they can often be seen using wide receivers, running backs, or even quarterbacks in unconventional ways in an attempt to get an advantage.
Recently Pro Football Focus showed the number of trick plays each team used in 2016 and made a graphic for the PFF Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/863490522870108161
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Vikings used the most trick plays in 2016 for several solid reasons.
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First, the injures along the offensive line forced the team to be more creative in how they attempted to run the ball. Minnesota attempted to rush between the tackles on multiple occasions without success before trying some new things like reverses or end-arounds.
Next, their top running back option was on the shelf for much of the season. This had the team using some of their dynamic wide receivers or even tight ends in the running game in hopes of finding something that worked.
Lastly, the team had a predictable offense to start with. Based on the formations and personnel, it could be fairly easily figured out what the call of the field was. These trick plays were necessary to keep opposing teams on their toes.
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It will be interesting to see if the Minnesota Vikings use the same amount of trick plays in 2017 considering the upgrades to the offensive line, new offensive coordinator, and new personnel on the offensive line and offensive backfield. But for now, teams will need to be careful not to be fooled by the boys in purple.