Post by Funkytown on May 24, 2023 15:08:59 GMT -6
We have the offensive-minded HC, veteran quarterback, the weapons, continuity with the OL, the same system, ... so, how do you think it shakes out for 2023? Oh, the improved defense should help some, too. Thoughts?
Do the Vikings Have a Top-10 Offense Heading Into 2023? by Will Ragatz
Hasan chimes in at the link:
www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/do-the-vikings-have-top-10-offense-heading-into-2023
Do the Vikings Have a Top-10 Offense Heading Into 2023? by Will Ragatz
How you view the Vikings' 2022 offense depends on what metrics you look at. The surface stats say Kevin O'Connell's group was a top-ten unit; they ranked seventh in yards per game and eighth in points per game. Efficiency-wise, they weren't as strong, ranking 20th in offensive DVOA and 18th in EPA per play. Both of those figures were weighed down by one of the league's least efficient running games.
There are several reasons to believe the Vikings' offense will be better in 2023. The most obvious is that everyone should be more comfortable in year two of O'Connell's system, from Kirk Cousins to the offensive line to O'Connell himself as a play-caller. The two big additions are first-round wide receiver Jordan Addison — who projects as an immediate upgrade from the aging Adam Thielen — and superb blocking tight end Josh Oliver. Addison is obviously the flashier of those two additions, but don't discount the importance of Oliver's presence in making the Vikings' running game more productive on a down-to-down basis.
It remains likely that Dalvin Cook will eventually be traded or released, but that may be addition by subtraction considering Cook was one of the least effective running backs in the NFL last season. A committee of Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, and rookie DeWayne McBride, with improved blocking in front of them, could be more than enough to clear the very low bar of last season's rushing efficiency.
If the running game improves slightly, that can only help the Vikings' passing game continue to be explosive. Cousins is back for another year; this will be his first time operating under the same play-caller for a second consecutive season since he signed with the Vikings five years ago. Justin Jefferson has a very strong case as the best wide receiver in football, T.J. Hockenson was a perfect fit in the offense following last year's midseason trade, and the complementary pass-catchers — Addison, K.J. Osborn, Oliver — are strong as well. Addison, the 2021 Biletnikoff winner, is a natural route-runner who the Vikings expect to thrive against single coverage.
On the offensive line, the Vikings have an elite tackle duo in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill, but pass protection is a significant concern with the interior trio of Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury, and Ed Ingram. Minnesota is hoping Ingram takes a year two leap after leading the NFL in pressures allowed as a rookie.
Based on that context, one can talk themself into the Vikings having a top-ten offense. Then again, Cousins is probably somewhere in the 11-15 rank among quarterbacks, Addison is unproven in the NFL, and questions remain about the running game and interior pass blocking. So there's a case to be made for skepticism about the Vikings' offense, too.
There are several reasons to believe the Vikings' offense will be better in 2023. The most obvious is that everyone should be more comfortable in year two of O'Connell's system, from Kirk Cousins to the offensive line to O'Connell himself as a play-caller. The two big additions are first-round wide receiver Jordan Addison — who projects as an immediate upgrade from the aging Adam Thielen — and superb blocking tight end Josh Oliver. Addison is obviously the flashier of those two additions, but don't discount the importance of Oliver's presence in making the Vikings' running game more productive on a down-to-down basis.
It remains likely that Dalvin Cook will eventually be traded or released, but that may be addition by subtraction considering Cook was one of the least effective running backs in the NFL last season. A committee of Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, and rookie DeWayne McBride, with improved blocking in front of them, could be more than enough to clear the very low bar of last season's rushing efficiency.
If the running game improves slightly, that can only help the Vikings' passing game continue to be explosive. Cousins is back for another year; this will be his first time operating under the same play-caller for a second consecutive season since he signed with the Vikings five years ago. Justin Jefferson has a very strong case as the best wide receiver in football, T.J. Hockenson was a perfect fit in the offense following last year's midseason trade, and the complementary pass-catchers — Addison, K.J. Osborn, Oliver — are strong as well. Addison, the 2021 Biletnikoff winner, is a natural route-runner who the Vikings expect to thrive against single coverage.
On the offensive line, the Vikings have an elite tackle duo in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill, but pass protection is a significant concern with the interior trio of Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury, and Ed Ingram. Minnesota is hoping Ingram takes a year two leap after leading the NFL in pressures allowed as a rookie.
Based on that context, one can talk themself into the Vikings having a top-ten offense. Then again, Cousins is probably somewhere in the 11-15 rank among quarterbacks, Addison is unproven in the NFL, and questions remain about the running game and interior pass blocking. So there's a case to be made for skepticism about the Vikings' offense, too.
Hasan chimes in at the link:
www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/do-the-vikings-have-top-10-offense-heading-into-2023
... and neither is this Chris guy.