Goal #1: Fix. The. Trenches. - OL & DL Discussion

Super Bowl champion and offensive savant Andy Reid always emphasized the importance of a good offensive line. “The offensive line is the backbone of our offense,” he said. “They set the tone for everything we do.”

Nick Saban, one of the best coaches in football history, echoed his sentiment. “The offensive line,” he said, “is the heart and soul of your football team.”

The Vikings’ offense is set at the skill positions headed into next season, as the skill players have the skill to propel Minnesota’s offense into an elite unit. This will depend largely to whether the Viking’s OLine can help the team stay in advantageous (or “downhill”) situations throughout the game.

Skill players’ success depends on the offensive line, which is often an unsung group. Offensive linemen are famous for doing the dirty work and never getting any credit. Fans usually only notice them when they make an egregious mistake. In short, no matter how good Jefferson is or how talented Jones, Darnold, or McCarthy are, they won’t be able to do their thing unless the offensive line can do theirs and do it well.

Offensive line play is complicated. There are not only individual matchups that offensive linemen must consistently win but also schematic challenges that they must solve together. As a result, offensive lines must have continuity to become superior. The Vikings have all of the pieces that they need to level up. Head coach Kevin O’Connell returns with his offensive scheme for a third season. Offensive line coach Chris Kuper also returns, and each starter from 2023 returns healthy and ready to go.

Garrett Bradbury is ready to call the combinations and assignments. Christian Darrisaw and Dalton Risner should line up to his left, and Ed Ingram and Brian O’Neill should be on his right. A key question this offseason is whether this combination of coaches and players can execute at a high level, both schematically and physically, against the NFL’s elite coaches and defensive players.

One key aspect that an offensive line can help the team with is excelling on first down and keeping the offense in advantageous, or “downhill” situations of second-and-five or better. When an offense fails to gain five or more yards on first down, opposing defenses have the freedom to call a scheme that is ready for the types of plays that would open up Jefferson or Addison for a big play; this is uphill football.

Conversely, when an offense gains five or more yards on first down, the defense stays on their heels. They must choose whether to call a scheme that focuses on stopping the run or staying safe against the pass, forcing them to gamble. That’s downhill sledding.

Coach O’Connell attested to the importance of downhill offense before the 2023 season. “To me, it comes down to efficiency, that’s the word,” O’Connell said. “I think the home runs and the long ones are great, but as a play caller, I would love to be second-and-five.”

As part of assessing Minnesota’s offensive line next year, I’m going to take a look at the first-and-10 plays from the first half of last season’s Detroit Lions game. I chose this game because Hockenson was out, and the play-calling will be similar to what Vikings fans can expect early in 2024. Note that I won’t include first-and-15s, first-and-fives, or two-minute situations because the dynamic and play-calling on both sides are different in these situations.

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Tallying Minnesota’s first downs in the first half of this game, the team ended up in six uphill situations and five downhill situations. There’s no surprise that they only managed three points by halftime. Kevin O’Connell and the big guys up front must change this ratio to keep the Vikings offense on the move next year in the hopes of being an elite offense.