Vikings PFF grades: The good and bad against Chicago
Even though the Vikings' offense sputtered in the second half versus the Bears on Sunday, it was still a banner day according to the grades handed out by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Justin Jefferson, who shredded the Bears with 12 receptions and 154 yards, had an 86.4 PFF score – his second best of the season. Dalvin Cook netted a season best 75.3 grade and Kirk Cousins posted a 71.3.
But it was the offensive line that shined. Ezra Cleveland's 90.0 grade was tops on the team, while Christian Darrisaw (82.9), Brian O'Neill (73.9) and Garrett Bradbury (72.1) all had solid performances.
The only lineman who didn't grade well is rookie right guard Ed Ingram, whose 31.5 pass-blocking score weighed down his 78.0 run-blocking effort.
How'd Cousins do under pressure? It really wasn't an issue as he was pressured just seven times all game, though he completed just two of those drop backs. He was 30-of-34 when kept clean.
Defensively, Cam Dantzler, the hero who forced the fumble to seal the 29-22 win, led the Vikings with an 86.3 grade, including a 90.7 coverage score. That's on the heels of an 83.7 coverage grade against the Saints, so the third-year corner trending up.
Meanwhile, what looked like a possible breakout game for Danielle Hunter didn't pan out. He managed one sack but generated only two pressures on 40 snaps and had a 47.9 overall grade – second worst among the defensive starters (Cam Bynum was worst with a 30.2 grade).
The star pass rusher was D.J. Wonnum, who racked up a sack and four hurries en route to a 77.0 defensive grade. That was third best on the defense. But Za'Darius Smith, despite a sack and a total of five pressure posted a 49.9 grade and had just one tackle all day.
Minnesota managed three sacks but only hit Chicago QB Justin Fields two other times all day, and the lack of pressure helped Fields go 12-of-13 in the second half and nearly lead the Bears to a come-from-behind upset.
Related: Can Vikings' defense continue to come up clutch?
Related: What's slowing the Vikings' offense? It's the third quarter.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.