Matthew Coller: Studs and duds from the Vikings win over Tennessee

Kevin O'Connell broke down everything from Sam Darnold to the run game on Monday.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) celebrates his sack of Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings advanced to 8-2 with a win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Let’s have a closer look at everything that worked and didn’t work in Tennessee…

What went right

Sam Darnold’s highest graded game

This is one of those instances where the box score does not tell the story as well as the tape, according to PFF. While Darnold had a solid showing in terms of traditional stats like quarterback rating, completion percentage and TD:INT ratio, he had a marvelous game per the tape graders. PFF gave him a 90.8 grade, the highest of the season.

How can that be? Well, when we peel back the layers, he was the victim of five drops, one of which would have been a deep touchdown pass to Jalen Nailor. His scrambling and playmaking was also the best that it’s been all year and he did not make any big mistakes.

Darnold’s quality play bumped him up to the 12th spot for the season overall by PFF’s grades. And despite some rocky moments, he rates as the fifth highest graded QB by PFF since Week 5.

“I thought he played a fantastic football game, I thought he played really well, then I watched the tape, and it confirmed a lot and then some about his above the line play that maybe covered up some other things around the play,” O’Connell said.

“[He was] was remarkable and a huge driving force behind winning the game...But we tried to go back to let's just take a look at some of the things [Darnold has] done really well and when we did that, a lot of the things centered around his feet, his eyes, his ability to use his athleticism when warranted and we knew that that would probably come up in the game with the type of interior and edge pressure that we thought we would get and he was really detailed in that, he was really decisive with his reads and I thought that made him accurate with some big-time throws.”

The pass protection and Brian Freaking O’Neill

Darnold was only pressured on 11 of his 37 drop-backs in Sunday’s game and his average pressure came while holding the ball over four seconds.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the interior of the O-line was the weakest point of the pass pro game but it was hardly run out of the building. Dalton Risner, in his debut, gave up two QB pressures.

“I thought he battled, I thought he showed some of that veteran moxie, to win some downs that were some hard downs and then I think there’s some things he’ll continue, just with the speed and physicality of it to find his grove,” O’Connell said. “I was really happy the way Dalton stepped in with the poise of the veteran that we were looking for.”

So did LG Blake Brandel and center Garrett Bradbury allowed one. All three were dinged by PFF with grades under 60 but none of them were catastrophic like we have seen in the past. That last time the Vikings played a defensive tackle of Jeffrey Simmons’s caliber, the right guard gave up 6 pressures and graded a 9.3 (out of 100) at pass blocking.

Brian O’Neill is on an unbelievable run. He has not allowed a QB pressure since the Rams game. Yep, that’s three straight shutouts. Cam Robinson had another good day at left tackle in pass pro as well, allowing two pressures and receiving a 82.6 grade. It can’t be overstated how much his addition has meant for Darnold’s safety.

"I think if Brian [O’Neill] wasn't playing to the level that he consistently has every game all season long, maybe we'd be in a little bit more of a crisis management mode [after losing Darrisaw], but it just doesn't feel like that because Brian's been so dang good, so consistent, and everything he's been on the field, he's been times 10 from a leadership standpoint...I'm glad PFF sees it that way. The film, to me, shows it the way"

Patrick Jones, Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel dominate

Andrew Van Ginkel became the third player to have two pick-sixes and 8.0+ sacks in a season when he brought down Will Levis twice. The do-it-all outside linebacker also had two more QB hits and a hurry, plus dropped back in coverage on 16 snaps. The quintessential Brian Flores player had one of his best days of the season.

Jonathan Greenard had another quality game with three QB pressures and four negative plays created (PFF’s “stops” stat). It’s becoming apparent that opponents are now putting a ton of focus on the Vikings dominant edge rusher, who ranks third in pressures overall in the NFL.

“You’re seeing the slide [protection] go his way a lot, you’re seeing some opportunities for the other guys based upon where he is in the rush pattern,” O’Connell said. “He's been physical. He's been able to shed and get off blocks. He's set a great edge. And he's just been snap in and snap out, one of our most consistent players all season long.”

Patrick Jones had been quiet in his pass rushing pursuits recently but in Nashville he was in the backfield consistently. He had two sacks, two QB hits and a hurry and added a couple more tackles into the mix. While Jones’s rushing seems to be hit or miss, he has taken advantage of his opportunities this year.

“When I think of Pat [Jones], whether he's set in the edge in the run game or pressure in the quarterback, it just feels like he's at his best when he's in that attack mode, and he's done a great job of that,” O’Connell said.

Linebackers causing havoc

Last week Blake Cashman made his presence felt in his return from a turf toe injury. He did it again against the Titans, scoring as the Vikings highest graded defensive player. Cashman did it all, picking up a sack, stopping the run, only allowing five yards on two targets into his coverage and dialing up a defense that baffled the Titans protection all day.

With Cashman back carrying the play calling load, Ivan Pace Jr. has been a problem for opposing offenses. The second-year linebacker had a 72.8 overall grade, two QB pressures and graded 74.9 against the run.

Only one new injuries

O’Connell said that TE Josh Oliver suffered a sprained ankle against the Titans. His status for Sunday’s game in Chicago is unclear.

What went wrong

Drops

The Vikings were credited with five drops, including Nailor’s potential touchdown and two passes to Jordan Addison. Darnold also missed out on another possible TD when Addison cramped up and had to slow down on a route. The All-22 angle of the film revealed that the pass would likely have connected with him in the end zone otherwise.

A rough day for Aaron Jones and run blocking

Between Jones and Cam Akers, the RBs gained 63 yards on 25 carries. The explanation for the struggles seemed to be that the Titans front was too much to handle. The two Vikings guards graded 57.8 and 47.9 in run blocking and Tennessee’s DTs ate up blocks so their linebackers could make tackles. Both Titans LBs graded over 80 vs. the run.

“I was reminded of that just postgame talking to Jeffery Simmons and [T’Vondre] Sweat, just you realize how massive those guys are,” O’Connell said. “Simmons is one of the best in all of football, he really is, and it showed up yesterday. We had our work cut out for us going into that game. There’s always some things you can do better from a technique, fundamentals, playstyle standpoint and just the small little things that can turn a three, four, five yard run into a 15, 20-yard run. And we were close on some of those…When we’ve been at our best as an offense is when we’ve been able to establish the run and all of the things that come off of it.”

Jones was dealing with a rib injury going into the game, which may have impacted his performance. However, the most frustrating play of the day for O’Connell was the fumbled pitch.

“We’ve got to execute tossing the football,” O’Connell said. “Whosever fault it was, whosever takes the ultimate minus on the sheet, it’s catastrophic. We’ve had two of them early on in games and it can’t happen.”

Secondary had its issues

No corner or safety graded higher by PFF than a 60 vs. the Titans. Will Levis threw the ball better by PFF grade than he had all season long. Levis targeted Josh Metellus six times and came away with five completions for 124 yards, including the 98-yard touchdown.

What may have impacted the coverage grades is that the Vikings blitzed Levis 48% of the time. They created a lot of negative plays by doing so but also allowed for more open space on the back end.