The Minnesota Vikings defense struggled in the 2023 season. They struggled in several areas, including the pass rush. Now, a player from that defensive unit is receiving a dubious honor from Pro Football Focus. Edge rusher Pat Jones II received a 37.5 grade in 2023. This was the lowest grade at edge rusher in Pro Football Focus history.
To be fair, Jones was not the only struggling part of this defense. However, he did play a part in it. He had 32 pressures across 388 pass-rush snaps. This certainly wasn’t ideal for a Vikings defense that needed help in several aspects. Bradley Locker broke down his case for Jones in the article.
The Vikings’ defense was mostly ineffective during the 2023 season, and Jones didn’t alleviate concerns. Across 388 pass-rush snaps, Jones totaled only 32 pressures on a league-worst 45.6 PFF pass-rush grade. Jones wasn’t much better against the run with a 39.8 PFF run-defense grade, and he also missed 16.7% of tackles.
Vikings Defender Had Up-And Down 2023 Season
Jones had an interesting season in 2023. He played in all 17 games for the Vikings. He started as a rotational defender before taking on a starting role later in the year. He recorded 32 total tackles and 32 pressures to go along with a sack and four tackles for loss.
To be fair to Jones, he only really expanded his role during the final three weeks of the season. Linebacker D.J. Wonnum suffered a quadriceps injury, opening up a spot for Jones to take over. Increased reps allowed Jones to get into a bit of a rhythm towards the back half of the year. He tallied 16 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. The sack came against the Detroit Lions in Week 16.
Vikings Defense Struggled As Unit In 2023
As a whole, the Vikings defense suffered from a multitude of casualties. The lack of pass rush was undoubtedly one of them. They had 43 total sacks in 2023. The injury to Wonnum also made things difficult for the defensive unit. On top of this, they had a high-gambling defense when it came to pressure. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores heavily used blitz packages. They blitzed on over 51% of defensive snaps according to analytics from MatchQuarters.
This seemed to be one of the more difficult seasons for Jones. The signs were there that he would be able to bounce back, as he recorded 20 more pressures in 2023 than he did in 2022. The slump would be broken in 2024, as he recorded seven sacks to go along with 39 total tackles and 24 quarterback pressures. Jones was able to perform at a high level.
Jones was able to accumulate respectable statistics during this time with the Vikings. He played for the team from 2021-2024. During that timeframe, he recorded 83 tackles and 17 tackles for loss over the course of 57 regular-season games. His best season was the 2024 campaign, when he was able to rebound nicely.
The Vikings have had stout defensive play in their history. However, 2023 was certainly not one to remember. Thankfully, the defense has improved since the 2023 campaign. They were one of the top five defenses in the NFL last year, and appear to have made adjustments under Flores. It will be exciting to see what they can do this season, in what should be a crowded and competitive NFC North.
If anything, this goes to show that two years can make a world of difference.
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