Putrid offensive line headlines shocking PFF grades from Vikings-Rams
The grades from Minnesota's 27-9 loss to the Rams are in from Pro Football Focus and they are indeed of the lousy variety. Sam Darnold and Cam Robinson and may want to grab a vomit bag before taking a look.
Darnold, who threw an interception and and lost a fumble that Rams rookie Jared Verse returned for a touchdown, had an overall offensive grade of 54.9, which ranks as his fourth-worst performance of the season. PFF somehow graded his games in Weeks 4 and 5 against the Packers (45.5) and Jets (47.9) worse, as well as his woeful game against Detroit (45.8) in Week 18.
Darnold had a 36.8 score (that's extremely bad) on the eight passing plays that the Rams blitzed. When he was pressured, he completed 10 of 17 passes for 114 yard an an interception. When he was kept clean, he was 15 of 23 for 131 yards and a touchdown.
After being pressured a season-high 33 times by the Lions in Week 18, the Vikings offensive line was charged with allowing 32 pressures against the Rams. Left tackle Cam Robinson gave up 12 pressures and a sack, by far the worst of Minnesota's O-linemen. Robinson had allowed 18 total pressures in Weeks 11-16 before giving up 21 in the last two games.
Right tackle Brian O'Neill, who left the game with a possible concussion in the fourth quarter, was charged with seven pressures and two sacks. Left guard Blake Brandel gave up two sacks and five total pressures, and right guard Dalton Risner stumbled his way to five pressures including a sack.
The best of the bunch up front was center Garrett Bradbury, who was charged with only one pressure in 53 pass-blocking snaps.
On the flip side, the Vikings generated 14 pressures on Matthew Stafford, but they sacked him only two times and hit him twice more.
Minnesota's defense allowed just three points in the second half, but they struggled to get stops in the first half as the Rams bolted to a 24-3 hafltime lead (helped but a defensive touchdown). The defensive grades, as one might expect, were neither great nor terrible.
Harrison Smith, possibly playing in his final game with the Vikings, led the D with a top score of 72.8. Pro Bowl selections Andrew Van Ginkel (70.5), Jonathan Greenard (69.9) and Byron Murphy Jr. (68.0) had the other top scores.
The worst defensive grades went to defensive lineman Jerry Tillery (39.0), safety Josh Metellus (39.5) and defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard (45.8), who jumped offsides on fourth down to help the Rams eventually put the ball in the end zone on the opening drive of the game.
That's a wrap...