This is the Best Offensive Line the Vikings Have Had in a Long Time
This is the best offensive line the Vikings have had a long time.
It's a group that was already playing quite well early in the season before going to another level in Monday night's win over the 49ers. Facing one of the best defensive fronts in all of football, the Vikings didn't allow a single sack on 45 dropbacks. That's a Kirk Cousins stat, in some ways, but the five guys up front also deserve a lot of credit for how they held up in pass protection all night long.
It all starts with tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill.
Darrisaw is having a first team All-Pro type of season, establishing himself for the second consecutive season as one of the very best left tackles in the league. After another elite performance against the 49ers, he's PFF's highest-graded offensive lineman in the NFL, regardless of position. Darrisaw's absolute dominance — and the way he makes it look easy — is remarkable to watch on tape every week.
Darrisaw got the better of Nick Bosa a couple times, but Bosa spent most of the night lined up against O'Neill on the right side. And although he got some help from chipping tight ends on occasion, O'Neill more than held his own in another strong performance. He's right behind the Lions' Penei Sewell as PFF's No. 2 right tackle in the league through seven weeks.
"They knew the challenge," Kevin O'Connell said after the game. "Listen, Nick Bosa is a phenomenal, phenomenal player, and you have to be locked in on every single snap all night long, regardless of circumstance. But they also have (Arik) Armstead and (Javon) Hargrave and they have other players that continuously come at you. If you're not locked in in one moment, it can be catastrophically bad. Tackles have been really, really good all year for us, but to answer the bell like they did tonight, can't say enough about CD and Brian O'Neill for what they mean to this team."
That kind of elite play is basically expected from those two tackles at this point. What's been huge for the Vikings' offensive line has been the play of the interior trio. Center Garrett Bradbury, since returning from injury, hasn't allowed a single pressure in three games. Right guard Ed Ingram has taken a noticeable step forward in year two. And with left guard Ezra Cleveland injured, veteran Dalton Risner stepped in for his first start with the Vikings and played well, taking advantage of an opportunity that meant a lot to him.
"How about Dalton Risner stepping in there," O'Connell said. "How about Ed Ingram's continued progression. To me, (Ingram) just continues to get better and better, and obviously having Garrett back in there now consistently running the show, the rapport between him and Kirk is tremendous. I gave that whole (O-line) group a game ball. This one will be special for them."
The Vikings would still like to keep improving the efficiency of their running game. But this was a game they put on Cousins' shoulders, and the offensive line played a huge role in allowing him to have the success that he did.
"I thought they did a great job protecting all night," Cousins said. "Again, a lot of pass attempts. It's not like we threw the ball 20 times. So they handled a lot. It's a unit that has played together for a while, played with me for a while, and at times it helps to have three or four of the guys where you feel like, hey, we've been here before and they kind of can finish my thoughts and sentences before I even do myself."
It'll be interesting to see if Risner remains at left guard once Cleveland is healthy. Either way, this offensive line is firing on all cylinders right now and should be viewed as a major strength as the Vikings look to continue stacking wins together.
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