Minnesota Vikings continue getting respect for their talent on the roster, and explanation is spot on
· Yahoo Sports
Despite a down season last year from the Minnesota Vikings’ skill players, they are still among the best groups in the NFL.
Even after a down season last year, the Minnesota Vikings still have the best wide receiver in the NFL in Justin Jefferson. It wasn’t all on Jefferson though, as the quarterback play was abysmal for the majority of the season.
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ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked all 32 skill player groups and had the Vikings at eighth in the NFL. One of the biggest reasons why they were as high as they were was due to the quarterback play.
“Both Jefferson and Addison saw their catch rates drop to career lows last season, which I feel comfortable chalking up to subpar quarterback play. T.J. Hockenson, though, recorded the best catch rate of his career, in part because he was catching bunches of short checkdowns.”
https://www.youtube.com/live/VugFsHnGfL8?si=AOGufg2srxUwWoTsMinnesota Vikings still have an elite group of pass catchers
The context of the quarterback situation is an important one, as the Vikings’ receiver issues were mostly due to the poor signal-callers. The majority of throws were from J.J. McCarthy, and he had a whopping 10.8% drop rate. However, Carson Wentz, on a similar number of throws, had a drop rate of just 3.5%.
Why would there be such a discrepancy? Simply put: ball placement and velocity. How you throw the ball and where it ends up are hugely impactful to the wide receiver catching it. They have to know that the placement will be good, and that trust is huge within a timing offense that Kevin O’Connell runs.
Barnwell goes on with multiple other angles, mainly talking about how the tight end and running back positions aren’t up to par for what they should be. T.J. Hockenson hasn’t quite gotten up to speed since the injury, but some of that is the poor quarterback play and the massive offensive line injuries. He spent the majority of last season chipping on passing plays, which is severely limiting for him. It would take him 1.5 seconds to make the chip, and that limits his effectiveness attacking down the field.
Running back is a tough one, as they seem to be treading water with the limitations that Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason have. If they can upgrade one of those players, the Vikings would be in great shape.
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