There was plenty of good and a little bit of bad for the Minnesota Vikings in their 13-10 win over the New York Giants in their preseason opener. But one positive stands out so far as the biggest preseason takeaway: the ground game.
Despite having a starting quarterback who was overmatched -- when he was available -- and averaging a solid 4.5 yards per carry (top-12 in the league), head coach Kevin O'Connell continued to show an allergy to running the ball last season.
Injuries leaving just one 17-game starter on the offensive line, right guard Will Fries, were surely a factor in the continued lack of commitment to the run game. There were also a few game scripts that forced more passing.
But still, the sixth-fewest rushing attempts in the league when your starting quarterbacks were J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer defies logical explanation.
If not for a run-heavier approach in the final five games of the season, which uncoincidentally yielded a Vikings-esque winning streak to keep them from getting the highest possible first-round pick, that standing in rush attempts would've been worse.
The offseason hiring of former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith as an assistant head coach foreshadowed a firmer commitment to running the ball this season. In particular, Smith is spearheading the installation of a wide-zone run scheme, which will fill that blind spot in O'Connell's acumen as an offensive mind.
Kevin O’Connell delivers on his promise of a balanced Minnesota Vikings offense
It's hard to read a whole lot into all that happens in a first preseason game. Backups are in early, and in large part, players who might make the practice squad are playing by late in the third quarter.
That said, the Vikings totaling 112 rushing yards on 26 attempts (before Wentz's kneel-down at the end) against the Giants was noteworthy for all the right reasons. The only folly was trying to use rookie Demond Claiborne as a goal-line back when he's physically ill-suited to the job. But with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason getting all their work done on the first offensive series, there just weren't many other options.
Focusing on that first drive of the game when the starters were in, which yielded a Will Reichard field goal, quarterback Kyler Murray only attempted three passes. The rest of the drive was rush attempts, split equally between Jones and Mason (three carries each), as they totaled 44 yards between them and had a run of more than 10 yards apiece.
Just as importantly as the effectiveness of the run game, those 26 pre-kneel-down rush attempts and 27 pass dropbacks meant the Vikings had a balanced offense against the Giants. Time will tell if that continues when the games count in a few weeks, but O'Connell is practicing what he's been preaching when it comes to an emphasis on the run game, and the results were nice.
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