Randy Moss nailed it, and there’s not a lot to debate.
Randy Moss Was Right.
This summer season, the Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famer known as upon his former workforce to run the soccer extra successfully, hoping that the purple workforce would absolutely unlock the passing recreation in that case.
Fast ahead to Week 3 of the NFL’s docket, and the Vikings have exactly adopted Moss’ summer season suggestion — and are 2-0 for his or her troubles. The plan labored. Moss was proper.
“It’s a different era; you have to really understand how the game has changed. To be honest with you, if Kevin O’Connell is able to scheme up some runs to be able to take some pressure off whoever Sam Darnold, he has, I think the passing game is going to be elite,” Moss told Kay Adams in July.
Last season, Minnesota employed Alexander Mattison at RB1, a participant since launched in favor of Aaron Jones, who defected from the Green Bay Packers in March and joined the Vikings through free company. Mattison signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Moss added two months in the past, “If you don’t have a running game, a running game that defenses will respect to open up the whole offense, that’s what I’m looking at and see what the Vikings can do.”
Through two video games, Minnesota has completely fastened a floor recreation that ranked sixth-worst within the NFL in 2022 and 2023. Heading into final season, the Vikings teaching workers vowed to enhance the speeding offense and promptly completed sixth-worst as soon as once more, primarily as a result of the aforementioned Mattison by no means hit his stride.
This season, although, Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler are taking part in like Batman and Robin, slicing and dicing defenses for five.9 yards per contact apiece. When one man hits the sidelines, the opposite man produces the precise stat line. The offense shouldn't be lacking a beat.
Accordingly, the purple offense ranks as follows getting into Week 3:
- PFF Offense = 4th
- Offense DVOA = thirteenth
- Offense EPA/Play = seventh
- PFF Pass Offense = third
- PFF Rush Offense = sixth
- Rush Offense DVOA = sixth
- Pass Offense DVOA = 14th
- Rush Offense EPA/Play = seventh
- Pass Offense EPA/Play = twelfth
The productive floor assault softens opposing secondaries in order that reclamation quarterback Sam Darnold can thrive downfield. Jones and Chandler are conserving defenses trustworthy, which was not the case final 12 months, with Mattison grabbing the majority of speeding makes an attempt.
So, sure, when Randy Moss speaks, people ought to hear. He was on level within the July interview, and now his outdated workforce is undefeated out of the gate.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his day by day YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The present options visitors, evaluation, and opinion on all issues associated to the purple workforce, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates again to 1996. Listed responsible pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as carefully because the NFL.
All statistics supplied by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual info supplied by OverTheCap.com.
