Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin O’Connell tends to be a chatty guy.
Back at the Annual League Meeting, the Vikings’ head coach talked with the media for more than thirty minutes. The final question was about scoring being down across the NFL. O’Connell was happy to jump into the answer, but part of what made his response notable was his offhand comment about passing the ball as a way of being an “extension of the run game.”
Kevin O’Connell: Passing as a Way of Running
The Vikings aren’t great at running the pigskin.
Last season, Minnesota finished 28th in the NFL for total carries, a surprisingly-low total given all of the offseason prophecies about arriving at a more balanced offense. Backing up the proclamations were the addition of Josh Oliver and retention of C.J. Ham. These moves seemingly confirmed that a better rushing attack was soon to arrive.
Nov 27, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) reacts with tight end Josh Oliver (84) and guard Dalton Risner (66) after a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Going into 2024, running the ball — and doing it well — are more important than ever. After all, Kirk Cousins’ golden arm is now down in Georgia. Plus, Aaron Jones is now the top runner, so optimism reigns.
What’s notable, though, is that Coach O’Connell thinks that there are moments when passing the ball can function as a stand-in for a run.
“I think it’s become a passing league,” O’Connell explains, “but it’s also become a completion league. The volume of completions of maybe being extensions of the run game, different things. But a lot of times with the high completion type of offense the clock’s running. You’re seeing it in games that we’ve had. Shoot, seven, eight minutes go by and a team drives for a twelve-play drive for a field goal but that’s still time that our offense is sitting over on the sideline; that’s still time that we can’t kind of dictate in the game. So I think it’s all ball control” (emphasis added).
Dec 31, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterback Jaren Hall (16) look on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Keeping track of all of that?
Yes, the NFL has shifted toward passing, but the key is often about completing those passes. Doing so sometimes means turning to easier, shorter passes. At times, these passes function as a way of replacing runs. Will Minnesota delve into this approach?
The obvious instances would be quick swing passes to Aaron Jones and/or Ty Chandler. But then there are the screen passes that could get layered into the offense more effectively. In theory, the RBs, TEs, and WRs could all have a role to play in the screen game (which is to say nothing of the offensive line).
Sep 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell takes the field before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
But think, too, of other moments that could come into play. Imagine a scenario where Justin Jefferson is on the line and the corner, wary of getting scorched deep, is playing off by quite a distance. Maybe there’s a check at the line of scrimmage to toss it to Jefferson immediately after the ball is snapped so that #18 can pickup the easy 5-8 yards. Or, perhaps, it’s quick slant.
The broader point is that simply looking at the run/pass split may not tell the whole story for the Vikings. O’Connell was a QB before he was a HC, so it makes some sense that he prefers to move the ball through the air.
His answer points toward the desire to possess the football and dictate the pace of the game. While doing so, the other team’s offense isn’t able to put points on the board. Time of possession, ball control, and points. Those are factors, per Kevin O’Connell, that are going to greatly contribute to picking up wins.
Oh, and if those easy completions help to diminish the turnovers, then people in Minnesota will be much happier.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.
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Publish date : 2024-07-16 09:15:00
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