Inside The Vikings

Justin Herbert Shredded Vikings' Blitz-Heavy Approach in Historic Fashion

The Vikings blitzed Herbert on nearly every play in Sunday's game — and he carved them up.

Will Ragatz

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Brian Flores and the Vikings came into Sunday's game against the Chargers with a clear plan: They were going to blitz Justin Herbert on basically every play. 

It didn't work. The Los Angeles offense countered by getting the ball out quickly, and Herbert carved up the Vikings in a brilliant, historic performance.

The Vikings blitzed Herbert on 42 of his 49 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. That's nearly 86 percent — an unheard-of rate. Against those blitzes, Herbert went 34 of 40 for 317 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, taking one sack when Danielle Hunter knocked the ball out of his right hand. On average, he got the ball out in just 2.19 seconds.

Herbert finished with an overall line of 40/47 for 405 yards, setting a new NFL record for completion percentage in a game where a QB attempts at least 45 passes.

Kellen Moore and the Chargers had a perfect game-plan. They used bubble screens and slants and all kinds of quick passes to beat the Vikings' off coverage looks and get the ball in space before the blitz could get home. When Herbert held onto the ball a bit longer and pressure did arrive, he used incredible pocket movement to avoid sacks and buy time to find an open target.

"With our style of defense, they clearly came in with a plan to just kind of see if they could get pressure looks and had some answers just to put the ball in play on bubbles and block-them-up receiver screens and one-step throws," Kevin O'Connell said. "They were not going to try to drop back in those scenarios."

Herbert also uncorked several perfectly-placed throws downfield to beat good coverage from the Vikings. His only real mistake came on an under-thrown ball intended for Josh Palmer in the fourth quarter, and it resulted in the go-ahead touchdown anyways when Akayleb Evans had the ball bounce off his hands and helmet.

Midway through the third quarter, when the Chargers had already run bubble screen after bubble screen, they caught the Vikings off-guard with a trick play double pass. Keenan Allen, who had an absurd 18 catches for 215 yards, caught the screen and found Mike Williams wide open for a 49-yard score.

"Anytime you're going to throw 10 or 15 bubble screens in the game as the (cover) zero answer, we gotta be ready for that play because the second you see one, two, three, four times and them flipping the ball out there, I think everybody knows, potentially a double move of some kind is going to come off of that," O'Connell said. "Give them credit for executing that one."

The Vikings' defense has now been roasted in very different ways in their past two losses. Against the Eagles, their lighter personnel groupings were gashed for over 250 rushing yards. The Chargers only ran for 30 yards on 15 attempts, but they racked up 445 yards through the air with their quick-passing attack and a few deep dimes from Herbert.

After a solid Week 1 against the Buccaneers, it's been two down weeks for Flores' defense. They have to find ways to make more adjustments and win the schematic battle, but the bigger concern is that the roster simply may not be good enough. Danielle Hunter and Harrison Phillips have been good, but the Vikings are getting nothing from DT/OLB players like Dean Lowry, D.J. Wonnum, and Pat Jones II. Because they have to blitz at such a high rate to generate pressure, it's asking a lot of cornerbacks like Byron Murphy Jr., who had a rough game against Allen and Williams.

"When we're trying to force some of those all-out looks and the ball is coming out, that's one thing," O'Connell said. "Some of the other scenarios where we're bringing pressures of different kinds with either fire zone or different types of coverages behind it, that's when it seems to me like (Herbert) had quite a bit of time on some of those to sit in there and push the ball down the field when he wanted to. So that's where we just gotta try to find a way to get home. Hopefully we can get Marcus (Davenport) going at some point. I think that's been an element that we've been missing, just his physicality and his versatility as a guy on all three downs."

The Vikings could certainly use Davenport, who has played just four snaps in three games due to an ankle issue. His injury history, though, suggests he may be tough to rely on.

Minnesota's defensive task will be an easier one in two of the next three games (against the Panthers and Bears). But three of the next five are against the Chiefs, 49ers, and Packers, and the Vikings are going to need to win at least one of those games to have any shot at climbing out of this 0-3 hole.

For that to happen, Flores has to make adjustments and the players on the field have to find ways to execute and come up with stops.

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Will Ragatz
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