Vikings snap counts, notable PFF grades from win over Titans

The Vikings won their third consecutive game against an outmatched AFC South opponent.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (51) celebrates his sack of Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For the third consecutive week, the Vikings took care of business against an outclassed AFC South opponent, albeit not in overly convincing fashion. They weren't exactly dominant in Sunday's road win over the Titans, but it was at least less stressful than the wins against the Jaguars and Colts. Sam Darnold bounced back in a big way with a three-touchdown, zero-interception performance, the defense sacked Will Levis five times, and the Vikings benefited from a few iffy calls by the officials amid a 13-penalty day for Tennessee.

Let's dive into the snap counts and notable PFF grades to see what we can learn.

Vikings offensive snap counts vs. Titans (out of 73)

* QB Sam Darnold: 73
* C Garrett Bradbury: 73
* LG Blake Brandel: 73
* RG Dalton Risner: 73
* RT Brian O’Neill: 73
* LT Cam Robinson: 73
* WR Justin Jefferson: 72
* WR Jordan Addison: 44
* TE Josh Oliver: 41
* RB Aaron Jones: 39
* TE T.J. Hockenson: 35
* WR Jalen Nailor: 32
* RB Cam Akers: 27
* FB C.J. Ham: 22
* TE Johnny Mundt: 19
* WR Brandon Powell: 17
* WR Trent Sherfield: 16
* RB Ty Chandler: 1

Oliver has out-snapped Hockenson 139 to 107 in the three games since the latter made his season debut against the Colts. That may be partly due to the Vikings easing Hockenson back into action after his ACL tear recovery process, but it's also about how good Oliver has been as both a run-blocker and as an outlet in the passing game. Unfortunately, Oliver is in danger of missing this week's game against the Bears due to an ankle sprain, which would necessitate a bigger role for Hockenson and plenty of snaps for Mundt as well.

Also of note is that the split between Jones (39 snaps) and Akers (27) was not very big in this game. Neither player could get anything going on the ground, but Akers caught a touchdown pass and had the Vikings' lone run of at least 10 yards. Speculatively, Jones might still be feeling the effects of taking a helmet to the ribs in Jacksonville.

Top 5 PFF grades on offense (min. 20 snaps)

1. Darnold — 90.8
2. O'Neill — 74.5
3. Jefferson — 68.4
4. Bradbury — 66.7
5. Oliver — 59.8

Darnold was excellent in this game. He was just 20 of 32 for 246 yards in the box score, but PFF charted his receivers with five drops, so his day could've been even bigger. Perhaps the most impressive thing Darnold did was navigate the pocket and make several plays with his legs.

O'Neill hasn't allowed a pressure in any of the last three games, which is remarkable. He's been incredible this year and especially lately, which has been big for the Vikings in the wake of Christian Darrisaw's season-ending injury.

The lowest grades went to Jones (29.7, lowest of his eight-year career) and Nailor (36.6). Jones dropped a pitch for a fumble, nearly lost another fumble, and didn't have a single run longer than five yards on his 15 carries. Nailor was targeted twice and dropped both of them, including a would-be touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Nailor's gotta catch that one pic.twitter.com/pF6KtOxATN

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 18, 2024

Risner also wasn't great in his first game replacing Ed Ingram at RG, but he figures to get another start next week.

Vikings defensive snap counts vs. Titans (out of 59)

* S Harrison Smith: 59
* LB Blake Cashman: 59
* CB Byron Murphy Jr: 56
* CB Stephon Gilmore: 54
* OLB Andrew Van Ginkel: 53
* OLB Jonathan Greenard: 48
* S Camryn Bynum: 48
* S Josh Metellus: 44
* OLB Pat Jones II: 44
* LB Ivan Pace Jr: 38
* DL Jihad Ward: 28
* DL Harrison Phillips: 27
* DL Jonathan Bullard: 25
* CB Shaq Griffin: 23
* DL Jerry Tillery: 18
* OLB Dallas Turner: 12
* DL Jalen Redmond: 10
* S Theo Jackson: 3

Welcome back Pat Jones. After playing just 10 snaps last week and 18 the week before that, he saw a big role against the Titans and had maybe the best game of his career. Jones finished with two sacks, five quarterback hits, and an additional tackle for loss.

On the other side of the coin, Turner only played 12 snaps and is at 23 in the two games since playing 26 in what looked like a breakout performance against the Colts. There may be games where he helps the Vikings down the stretch, but he's clearly back to being the No. 4 OLB behind Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Jones (and that's if you count Ward as a DT). It looks like Turner will end up having a very quiet rookie year, which may or may not be concerning. The optimistic view is that he's just 21 years old and is behind some very talented players on the depth chart.

It was interesting to see Phillips play a season-low 27 snaps, one fewer than Ward. Tillery also wasn't involved much. Metellus briefly left the game, which led to a few snaps for Jackson, but he's fine.

Top 5 PFF grades on defense (min. 20 snaps)

1. Cashman — 84.2
2. Bullard — 76.2
3. Jones —75.9
4. Van Ginkel — 74.6
5. Greenard — 73.7

It's hard to overstate how good the Vikings' three big defensive free agent acqusitions — Cashman, Van Ginkel, and Greenard — have been this season. They've been the three best players on the best defense in the NFL. Cashman is remarkably consistent, and the Vikings are 7-0 with him on the field. Van Ginkel leads the team in sacks and might be a dark horse DPOY candidate. Greenard has been their best pass rusher all year, but despite being quiet in that regard over the last two weeks, he's remained incredibly impactful as a run defender.

Pace and Ward also nearly made this list. The only truly poor grade went to Metellus, who matched Aaron Jones with a career-low 29.7, largely because he misplayed the ball on the Titans' 98-yard touchdown.