Minnesota Vikings 2019 in Review: Grading the offense
By Chris Schad
Offensive Line
Often the most beleaguered unit on the Vikings’ roster, the offensive line showed signs of improvement in 2019. The Vikings front line allowed Kirk Cousins the most time to attempt a pass in the NFL last season at 2.83 seconds and with the additions of Garrett Bradbury and Josh Kline, they were able to help revitalize the ground game, which was a priority for head coach Mike Zimmer.
While the Vikings were better than their 2018 counterpart, they still had their share of issues when they went up against the ferocious pass rushes of Green Bay, Chicago, and San Francisco. Pat Elflein was a specific sore spot of the offensive line as he allowed a team-high 32 pressures despite moving back to his more comfortable spot at guard.
The Vikings also had issues in the pass blocking department as Bradbury was a marvel in the zone blocking scheme but also took home a pass-blocking grade of 0.0 from Pro Football Focus in Week 1 against Atlanta and Week 16 against Green Bay.
Still, there were positives as Brian O’ Neill continued to develop into a mainstay along the offensive line and Josh Kline was a solid addition coming over from Tennessee. The Vikings may need to look for a replacement this offseason for left tackle Riley Reiff, who was fine, but also carries a $13 million cap hit heading into next season.
Must Read. 7 bold predictions for the Vikings 2020 offseason. light