Getty Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins
The Minnesota Vikings offensive line finished the season ranked as the third-worst pass-blocking unit in the NFL — a ranking that’s not far from how the line has performed in the Mike Zimmer era.
Vikings team pass block grade and rank since 2014:
2014: 72.4 (23rd)
2015: 67.9 (28th)
2016: 64.7 (30th)
2017: 71.9 (17th)
2018: 63.6 (27th)
2019: 63.0 (27th)
2020: 55.5 (29th)
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While team success is often dictated by quarterbacks to a degree that quarterback wins are now a statistic, one former lineman spoke out about the flak Cousins has received, pointing to the offensive line as the real issue with the franchise.
“Anyone that blames Kirk for what is going on is out of their mind. He had an exceptional OL when they were healthy in Washington, aside from Spencer Long, and the OL there was run by a technician in Bill Callahan. When you watched the OL there things were intentional, every single guy on the Vikings OL plays with different technique,” the anonymous lineman told Purple PTSD’s Joe Johnson.
“Sometimes a certain guy will do a certain thing different to suit his abilities/skill set but here it looks like the Vikings OL doesn’t even have a coach. It looks like they get handed a piece of paper and someone says, go ahead and figure it out on your own.”
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Cousins’ Comeback Not Enough for Postseason Run
Cousins led the league with 10 interceptions through six games and was under heavy scrutiny to the degree of losing his starting job. He gave away two games to the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons by committing three turnovers in each game.
Cousins bounced back, throwing 24 touchdowns and three interceptions in the final 10 games of the season which led to a resurgent comeback for Minnesota after starting the season 1-5. Cousins led the charge despite being sacked 39 times (sixth-most in the NFL). Cousins getting the ball to his weapons helped the offense produce 26.9 points per game, the most by any Vikings team since 2009 when Minnesota made it to the NFC title game with Brett Favre.
The defense’s struggles outweighed the success Cousins conjured, finishing the season with a career-high 35 touchdowns that rank second all-time in Vikings history behind Daunte Culpepper’s 39 touchdowns in 2004.
“I think he improved a lot. He probably started out a little slow at the beginning of the season. I think at the end of the year, he’s had some big-time games, made some big-time throws, he’s taken much better care of the football,” Zimmer said. “I think he’s had a good year. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t do a little bit better and win a few more games, so he could showcase himself even more.”
Vikings Need to Bolster Depth in Trenches
Both the defensive and offensive lines will be areas that need to be addressed in the offseason.
Minnesota’s pass rush win rate was the third-lowest in the league (36%) this season. Danielle Hunter’s return should help tremendously, but the depth at the position left plenty to be desired as Yannick Ngakoue — the guy who played for the Vikings for six weeks before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens — was the team’s leader in sacks this season. Another quality defensive end and defensive tackle to join Michael Pierce should help Minnesota’s defense return to its former glory.
The interior offensive line was where Minnesota struggled the most, especially at guard. Dakota Dozier will likely not be re-signed. Riley Reiff may need to be released due to salary cap reasons, pushing Ezra Cleveland to left tackle and opening up a second vacancy at the guard.
Both lines could be addressed either in the draft or free agency, although Minnesota will have to part ways with several veterans to free up enough cap space for proven talent.
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Trevor Squire is a Heavy contributor covering the Minnesota Vikings and journalism graduate from the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities. Connect with him on Twitter @trevordsquire and join our Vikings community at Heavy on Vikings on Facebook.
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Ex-Vikings Lineman Blasts Kirk Cousins Critics