DAILY CLIPS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2018 LOCAL NEWS: Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Star Tribune

Bill Belichick's dust-up with Adam Thielen was entertaining but not his most noteworthy By Mark Craig http://www.startribune.com/bill-belichick-s-dust-up-with-adam-thielen-was-entertaining-but-not-his-most- noteworthy/501940821/

Vikings film review: Missed chances in New England lead to dud from Cousins, WR duo By Andrew Krammer http://www.startribune.com/vikings-film-review-missed-chances-in-new-england-lead-to-dud-from-cousins- wr-duo/501888441/

Vikings working out CFL star Bo Levi Mitchell on Wednesday By Ben Goessling http://www.startribune.com/vikings-working-out-cfl-star-bo-levi-mitchell-on-wednesday/501946011/

Pioneer Press

Vikings’ Richardson, Johnson eager to show Seahawks what they’re missing By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2018/12/04/vikings-sheldon-richardson-tom-johnson-eager-to-face-former- team-in-seattle/

Mike Zimmer pleased with hurry-up offense. Will Vikings use it more? By Dane Mizutani https://www.twincities.com/2018/12/04/vikings-could-benefit-from-using-hurry-up-offense-mike-zimmer- says/

Vikings.com

10 Vikings-Seahawks Numbers of Note: Vikings Set For 62nd Monday Night Football Appearance By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/10-vikings-seahawks-numbers-of-note-vikings-set-for-62nd-monday-night- football-a

NFL Power Rankings: Vikings Still in Playoff Picture Despite Bump By Chris Corso https://www.vikings.com/news/nfl-power-rankings-vikings-still-in-playoff-picture-despite-bump

Lunchbreak: Harris Keeping Even Keel Despite Gaining Starting Spot By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/lunchbreak-harris-keeping-even-keel-despite-gaining-starting-spot

A Look at NFC Playoff Picture Entering Week 14 By Craig Peters https://www.vikings.com/news/a-look-at-nfc-playoff-picture-entering-week-14

Vikings to Raise Awareness Through ‘My Cause, My Cleats’ Campaign By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-to-raise-awareness-through-my-cause-my-cleats-campaign

After Further Review: Vikings 3-and-Punt Hurts Between Pats Touchdowns By Craig Peters https://www.vikings.com/news/after-further-review-vikings-3-and-punt-hurts-between-pats-touchdowns

VIKING Update

Vikings ‘not surprised’ by playoff position, not ‘panicking’ By Tim Yotter https://247sports.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/Article/Vikings-not-surprised-by-playoff-position-not-panicking- 125868153/

1500 ESPN

Should the Vikings go no-huddle? By Matt Coller http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/12/vikings-go-no-huddle/

The Athletic

Vikings Film Room: Why it’s too soon to be calling for John DeFilippo’s head By Arif Hasan https://theathletic.com/694613/2018/12/04/minnesota-vikings-film-room-john-defilippo-offensive- coordinator-criticism-mike-zimmer/

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 12/5/18

Bill Belichick's dust-up with Adam Thielen was entertaining but not his most noteworthy

By Mark Craig

Mild-mannered Adam Thielen can be quite the ornery cuss between the white lines of an NFL field.

But, sorry Adam, if sideline tiffs with Bill Belichick were an Olympic sport, you’d have to settle for bronze. And that’s just among three notable Belichickian Battles witnessed by this observer going back to Week 1 of the 1992 season.

In the Vikings’ 24-10 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, Thielen took vehement offense when Patriots safety Patrick Chung suddenly collapsed because of an injury at precisely the moment Belichick needed more time to study the homefield replay board and challenge the spot on a fourth-and-1 play.

Not that the Patriots bend the rules or anything (wink, wink), but it did look somewhat suspect. So Thielen exploded with objection about 10 yards from Belichick.

Lip readers have said Belichick told Thielen to shut the heck up. Or something to that effect.

What happened next wouldn’t have happened in the early ’90s in Cleveland: one of Belichick’s players stepping in to defend him. This kind of player devotion tends to happen more often when you’re not an arrogant, unproven 39-year-old but a 66-year-old living legend with a record five Super Bowls and more wins than anyone not named Shula or Halas.

It was Kyle Van Noy who got in Thielen’s face as the latter jabbed an accusatory finger in Belichick’s direction.

“I thought that was the coolest thing that KV had Bill’s back right away,” said Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty. “Bill’s fiery. We see it every day, so I think it’s probably a lot cooler for [the media] to see it.”

Thielen will be happy to know the silver medalist in sideline Belichickian Battles is Hall of Famer Cris Carter.

On Dec. 9, 1995, Belichick’s Browns were at the Metrodome putting together a 27-11 loss five weeks after it was announced they’d be moving to Baltimore the following season.

Linebacker Mike Caldwell was flagged for a late hit on Carter near the Browns sideline. Carter objected as passionately as only Carter could.

Indications were Belichick questioned Carter’s toughness in unflattering terms. Carter and Belichick got into a heated back and forth.

“He used words that I don’t agree with, that I don’t use when I talk to another human being,” Carter said after the game. “I just wanted to let him know that he can’t talk to me that way. That’s probably part of the reason why his team is in the position it’s in.

“You have to treat people like people. That’s one of the things that he’s had a hard time doing. He has a lot of talent, but he has no type of personality to deal with individuals.”

Belichick later denied he said anything to Carter to start the exchange.

And the gold medal in the sideline Belichickian Battles goes to Reggie Langhorne, yet another receiver and the first player Belichick had a run-in with as a 39-year-old rookie head coach in Cleveland in 1991.

Langhorne was one of the popular veterans on an aging 3-13 team Belichick inherited. Like many of them, he didn’t like or respect Belichick.

As their feud boiled over early that season, Belichick confronted Langhorne and accused him of not hustling in practice. Langhorne countered by refusing to come out of the locker room for the start of practice.

Belichick wanted to demote him to the practice squad. Langhorne refused and was fined $15,000 and told he wouldn’t be making that week’s trip to New York to play the Giants. That cost him another $30,000.

After the season, Belichick put Langhorne on the team’s Plan B free agency list, calling him the “most selfish player I’ve ever coached.”

The Colts signed Langhorne. And guess who the Colts opened with at home on Sept. 6, 1992? Yep, the Browns.

The Colts sacked Bernie Kosar 11 times. They were leading 7-3 in the third quarter when Mark Herrmann threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to — you guessed it — Langhorne.

Langhorne turned toward the Cleveland sideline, said some choice words and then whipped the ball at Belichick.

He wouldn’t elaborate after the Colts’ 14-3 win. He just smiled and said, “If you’d have caught me after the touchdown and heard the things I was saying, you might have gotten a good quote.” PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 12/5/18

Vikings film review: Missed chances in New England lead to dud from Cousins, WR duo

By Andrew Krammer

Deep inside Gillette Stadium on Sunday night, Stefon Diggs retreated from the crowd. After declining to be interviewed, with a few choice words, emotions finally simmered below the surface. Diggs sat alone on the floor in the entrance of the visitor’s locker room following the Vikings’ 24-10 loss in New England.

It was the empty calm following a low the Vikings hadn’t experienced in 27 games. The Patriots defense had just held Diggs and receiver Adam Thielen to the duo’s worst production (a combined 10 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown) in a losing effort since last year’s Week 2 trip to Pittsburgh, where quarterback Case Keenum made a rusty first start for the Vikings.

Tempers flared in every direction: at opposing coaches, players, officials and teammates. Diggs, with a brace on his left knee, was shadowed by Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore nearly everywhere he went. Thielen was doubled on key plays by the McCourty twins.

That game plan, combined with creative pre-snap disguises and defensive fronts, helped attack the Vikings’ strength that is one of the NFL’s best receiving duos. Quarterback Kirk Cousins had chances, but either he or the receiver (Thielen had two drops) missed them. The offense was unable to effectively adjust.

“They were giving us a lot of really unorthodox looks defensively,” head coach Mike Zimmer said Monday.

Let’s take a look at why the Vikings’ heavily-used passing game fell flat in New England.

1. Pressure report: The Patriots’ blitzes were the story of the game out of Boston media. But really, Cousins wasn’t awful against extra rushers. Against 10 blitzes, Cousins completed 6 of 9 passes for 62 yards and four first downs. One incompletion was a Thielen drop. He did take one critical sack on this third-and-5 to open the fourth quarter. But the O-line gave him little time on this play below.

The Vikings offensive line’s issues against twists (or ‘stunts’) by opposing defensive fronts has been on display throughout this season. The Patriots undoubtedly saw this and turned it up a notch.

This ‘blitz’ by Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower is really just to occupy Vikings left guard Tom Compton, who was again the line’s biggest liability on Sunday alongside center Pat Elflein. It allows Patriots sack leader Trey Flowers (#98) to rush on a wide twist that both guard Mike Remmers and Elflein fail to adjust. The result is a free runner at Cousins, and the sack.

The Vikings offensive line protected Cousins better than their season average, but three holding calls (two on Compton, one on left tackle Riley Reiff) put them in situations they could not overcome.

2. Pre-snap disguises. decision making hurt Kirk Cousins, which led to some of the missed opportunities for Thielen and Diggs. Right after the miscommunication with Diggs, when Cousins threw the corner route and Diggs stopped on a curl on 2nd-and-17, the Patriots showed a 2-deep safety look and blitzed on the ensuing 3rd-and-long. Cousins saw an open checkdown to Latavius Murray, but safety Devin McCourty had crept upward and got the easy tackle for a 2-yard gain — leaving Thielen an opening downfield without a deep safety covering him.

This also happened on 2nd-and-9 near the red zone, when Cousins took his first sack after nearly four seconds in the pocket. Watch below as the Patriots put both safeties in the box, then drop one deep. Cousins appears to target Aldrick Robinson on the outside go route, but the defense is Cover-3 (deep), not Cover-1 or Cover-0 as it’d appeared before the snap. Diggs is left waving his arms on the out route along the left sideline.

In the fourth quarter, Cousins left Thielen and Diggs with openings downfield to take a 4-yard checkdown to Cook.

On a first-and-10 in the second half, Cousins had Diggs in a one-on-one matchup open downfield, but he threw toward Robinson on the opposite side of the field. He lamented that decision after the game.

“There was one time we took a shot over the free safety’s head, but I didn’t put it on the right side of the field where Diggs was,” Cousins said.

3. Anatomy of a play: How the Patriots targeted center Pat Elflein, whose second NFL season has been a struggle. He was in the crosshairs of the Patriots’ rush plans on plays like the 3rd-and-6 below.

You’ll see the ‘psycho’ alignment the Patriots used in various forms to create confusion and pressure. Seven defenders, including just one down lineman: Flowers (#98) whom you can’t see but is lined up over Elflein, crowd the line of scrimmage. These defenders are clustered and seemingly out of order compared to the strict alignments of the Vikings’ defensive front.

Now look at the assignments below. All that Patriots’ window dressing is used to set up a typical 4-man rush. But much like the Vikings’ own double A-gap schemes, it’s dressed up to cause confusion and better matchups for the attacking defenders. A thinking player can be a slow one.

This frame below also exemplifies the Patriots’ game plan for Thielen and Diggs. Gilmore (#24) is in aggressive man-to-man coverage on Diggs. The McCourty twins, Devin (#32) and Jason (#30), crowd Thielen like they did much of the game. This time, Jason blitzes from the corner and Devin is man-to-man on Thielen. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy (#53) drops into a zone under Thielen.

The pre-snap motion is the really ‘unorthodox’ part of this Patriots approach; eleven seconds of pinball action. “They do a lot of moving around,” running back Dalvin Cook said. “You can’t really get focused in on what they’re doing in moving guys around.”

Once they settle, you’ll see Patriots linebackers Hightower (#54) and Simon (#55) attack Vikings guards Compton and Remmers. This widens the interior lane for Flowers (#98) to breeze past Elflein and force immediate pressure on Cousins.

4. Tom Brady averaged 2.22 seconds in the pocket, the fastest among any quarterback in Week 13, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s a big reason why the Vikings defense failed to sack the quarterback for the second time in the past five games. Defensive end Danielle Hunter came the closest, and likely saved a deep touchdown pass on the first drive when Brady checked down to Rex Burkhead for a 15-yard completion. Brady had James White open deep on a wheel route against linebacker Anthony Barr.

On the next play, receiver Julian Edelman sped past Barr for a 15-yard run on a jet sweep to set up the Patriots’ 1-yard touchdown run.

5. The Vikings’ cornerback injuries were too much to overcome, but safety Anthony Harris appeared to be the culprit on Josh Gordon’s 24-yard touchdown catch to put the score at 17-10 entering the fourth quarter. Brady rattled off four straight completions on the 75-yard scoring drive. It started with cornerback Marcus Sherels’ missed tackle on Gordon during a 24-yard completion. It ended with Harris hesitating in 2-deep coverage between Chris Hogan and Gordon, leaving Gordon open between Harris and safety Harrison Smith for the score.

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 12/5/18

Vikings working out CFL star Bo Levi Mitchell on Wednesday

By Ben Goessling

The Vikings have had some success over the years finding players from the Canadian Football League who could contribute to their NFL roster. They’ll take a look at one of the bigger stars in the league during a workout on Wednesday.

The team plans to work out Bo Levi Mitchell, the Calgary Stampeders quarterback who led his team to a pair of Grey Cup championships in 2014 and 2018. Mitchell, who helped Eastern Washington to a FCS national championship in 2010, has won a pair of Most Outstanding Player awards in the CFL.

If the 6-foot-2 quarterback does enough to earn a contract from the Vikings, it’d be on a futures contract similar to the one the team gave Brandon Zylstra out of the CFL in January. The 28-year-old Mitchell would have to compete for a roster spot in 2019, but could push Kyle Sloter for the No. 3 job, or be in position to benefit if the team decides not to re-sign pending free agent Trevor Siemian.

At this point, the Vikings are doing little more than taking a look at Mitchell, who is expected to gauge interest from a number of NFL teams, but if the team decides to sign Mitchell, it could have an interesting prospect for its quarterback depth chart down the road. PUBLICATION: PIONEER PRESS DATE: 12/5/18

Vikings’ Richardson, Johnson eager to show Seahawks what they’re missing

By Chris Tomasson

Two Vikings defensive tackles will have added incentive Monday night at Seattle.

Sheldon Richardson played for the Seahawks last season before getting what he called a “terrible” contract offer and leaving as a free agent to sign a one-year, $8 million deal with Minnesota.

Tom Johnson signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal with Seattle last March after four years with the Vikings but lasted just one regular-season game. Released because the Seahawks needed a roster spot, he returned to Minnesota on a one-year, $1 million deal.

“I’m definitely going there to make a statement,” Johnson said.

Richardson replaced Johnson this season as Minnesota’s starting three-technique tackle but Johnson has played plenty since his return. Before signing with the Vikings, Richardson said, the Seahawks only offered him “like four or five million.”

“The contract they offered me was terrible,’’ Richardson said. “It wasn’t what they told me when I left after the exit meetings. I don’t know who came up with the numbers. When my agent told me the offer, I told him, ‘They can keep that.’ They set my market low.”

Had the Seahawks offered Richardson a deal similar to what the Vikings gave him, Richardson said, he never would have left. He had been acquired by Seattle from the New York Jets just before the start of the 2017 season.

“The season was good,” Richardson said. “They just never really fully committed to me. … But it will be fun going against those guys. I don’t have any enemies on the team — in the locker room.”

One thing did irk Richardson last season: having just one sack.

“They took me off the field,” he said. “I stopped playing on third downs for about four or five weeks.”

Richardson has 3 1/2 sacks this season and leads the Vikings in quarterback hurries. Johnson also has 3 1/2 sacks in nine games since returning in Week 3.

“They know what the deal is,’’ Johnson said of the Seahawks. “They know what I am and how I play. I’m sure compared with the guys that they have that I would be a good addition to … what they’ve got going on.”

Johnson is still a bit miffed at what happened after he started the first game of this season. The Seahawks promoted safety Shalom Luani from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and released Johnson, despite the fact that his salary was guaranteed.

“I didn’t agree with it, but it was a business decision,” Johnson said. “They didn’t want to put one of their younger guys (on the waiver wire), and D-line was the only position that didn’t have any injuries. It didn’t have anything to do with my talent and or my ability. Obviously, I’m the better player, but it was a strategic thing.”

Luani didn’t even play that week, and Seattle’s plan to re-sign Johnson to a minimum contract worth $915,000 fell apart when the Vikings swooped in and signed him to a deal that could be worth as much as $1.5 million with incentives.

“This was a good situation,” Johnson said. “If I wasn’t going back to Seattle, I was going to a position I felt like was good for me.”

Between his two contracts, Johnson will make at least $3 million this season.

“As a player, I’m happy he got to double dip and get paid by two organizations,” said Cliff Avril, a Seahawks defensive end from 2013-17 who has a radio show on Seattle station KJR. “But I didn’t think it was a good move (for Seattle). That D-line is extremely young, and you lose a veteran.”

As for Richardson, Avril was happy to see him get a big deal with the Vikings.

“Around free agency, I talked to him,” Avril said. “I said, ‘Listen, bro, you’ve got to get your money. (The Seahawks) try to preach loyalty and all this other stuff, but you’ve got to do what’s best for you and your family because this window (as an NFL player) is extremely short.’ “ PUBLICATION: PIONEER PRESS DATE: 12/5/18

Mike Zimmer pleased with hurry-up offense. Will Vikings use it more?

By Dane Mizutani

Sometimes it seems Mike Zimmer can’t help himself.

After opening Monday’s news conference by defending offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, Zimmer quickly pivoted to put the onus on himself, saying he must “do a better job” monitoring the offense during games.

While Zimmer wouldn’t explain exactly what he meant by that, he did express an interest in using more hurry-up offense. Late in the second quarter of Sunday’s 24-10 loss at New England, he noted, the Vikings moved methodically up the field for a touchdown using a hurry-up offense.

The 97-second drive featured a handful of long gains and ended with Kirk Cousins throwing a touchdown pass to Adam Thielen to pull the Vikings to within 10-7.

“I’ve always said that I think there’s a place for that,” Zimmer said Monday. “It puts a lot of stress on the defense. That’s part of why we do it.”

And part of why the Vikings (6-5-1) might want to consider doing it more in the final month of the season.

To make the playoffs, the Vikings likely need to go 3-1 over their last four regular-season games, and with games against the Seattle Seahawks (7-5), Miami Dolphins (6-6), Detroit Lions (4-8), and Chicago Bears (8-4) waiting, it won’t be easy.

The Vikings can’t afford for their once-potent offense to continue sputtering. They have been held to less than 300 yards of total offense three times in the past four games, including losses to the Bears and Patriots.

Could the hurry-up offense help make the Vikings more explosive?

“I don’t know,” Cousins said. “It’s something we’ve got to talk about. Anytime we do as well as we’ve done in that two-minute drill, it’s got to say something about what we do well.”

Perhaps the most effective part of the hurry-up offense is that it gets a defense off schedule, something Zimmer understands firsthand.

“You know, when teams get in the huddle, and get out of the huddle, and get up to the line fast, and (the quarterback) snaps the ball or doesn’t snap the ball, and changes the tempo throughout the course of the ballgame, all they’re trying to do is take our breath away,” Zimmer said. “You know, “Oh, I can’t catch my breath. We are doing this. They are doing that. Where do we line up?’ ”

That stress is exacerbated when an offense has as many play-makers as the Vikings, whether it’s Cousins and his NFL-leading 350 completions, Thielen and Stefon Diggs getting open downfield or a healthy Dalvin Cook gaining large chunks out of the backfield. It’s difficult to account for everyone when play is sped up.

“It’s hard when a team has to hurry up on the ball like that and account for everybody on the field, because everybody can make a play,” Cook said. “You’ve seen it. Once we picked the tempo up, guys were making plays all over the field. It just shows what type of play-makers we’ve got.”

It remains to be seen whether the Vikings use the hurry-up offense more down the stretch, though it’s safe to assume Zimmer will have a significant say in whether or not that happens.

“That’s up to the coaching staff to decide what they want to do,” Cousins said. “We have seemed to be productive out of it. I’d even argue the two-minute drill at the end of the first half against the Packers (in Week 12), and some other games this season, we’ve done a good job in the two-minute drill going down the field to get a touchdown or a field goal.”

VIKINGS TO WORK OUT CFL STAR The Vikings on Wednesday will work out Canadian Football League star quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, The Sports Network reported.

Mitchell last month led Calgary to a 27-16 win over Ottawa in the Grey Cup and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. He has won two Grey Cup MVP awards and two CFL Most Outstanding Player awards.

Mitchell, 28, has played seven seasons in the CFL since being undrafted out of Eastern Michigan. The Sports Network reported that the free agent is expected to have a number of NFL workouts. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 12/5/18

10 Vikings-Seahawks Numbers of Note: Vikings Set For 62nd Monday Night Football Appearance

By Eric Smith

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings are squarely in the playoff picture with a month left in the 2018 season, but there is plenty of work to be done.

Minnesota currently sits at 6-5-1 and would be the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs if the season ended today. The Vikings are in second place in the NFC North behind the 8-4 Bears.

The Vikings will play the team currently in the No. 5 spot, the Seattle Seahawks, on Monday Night Football in Week 14. Kickoff is at 7:15 p.m. (CT) from Seattle.

The Seahawks are 7-5 and are competing for a Wild Card spot as the Rams have already clinched the NFC West.

Here’s a look at 10 numbers of note heading into Monday’s matchup:

10 — Both defenses rank in the top 10 on third downs in 2018. Minnesota is first at 29.9 percent, and Seattle is ninth at 37.3 percent.

29 — The Vikings are 29-32 on Monday Night Football in franchise history. Minnesota, which has won three of its past four games in the prime-time slot, has never faced Seattle on Monday night.

7.3 — Minnesota averaged 7.3 yards per carry Sunday against New England with 95 rushing yards on just 13 attempts. That is the Vikings highest average rushing total since Week 10 of the 2015 season when they averaged 8.0 yards per carry against the Raiders.

0 — The Vikings defense did not record a sack against the Patriots, marking just the second time all season Minnesota did not get to the opposing quarterback at least once. The Vikings rank eighth in the NFL with 36 total sacks.

41 — Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson has a record of 41-12 in 53 career home games with the Seahawks. He has thrown for 97 touchdowns and just 25 interceptions in those games.

5 — The Vikings and Seahawks have gone five straight seasons with one team winning a respective division title. Minnesota won the NFC North in 2015 and 2017; Seattle won the NFC West in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

1 — Seattle ranks first in total rushing attempts (380) and is first in rushing yards per game at 148.8. The Seahawks have rushed for 100-plus yards in nine of 12 games. The Vikings are 0-5 this season when they have allowed 100-plus yards on the ground.

3 — The Seahawks have three players with at least five touchdown catches in 2018, and are one of five teams (along with Cincinnati, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers and Tampa Bay) to do so. Tyler Lockett leads Seattle with nine scores. David Moore and Jaron Brown have five touchdowns apiece.

23 — Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown 23 touchdown passes so far in 2018 and is on pace for 30- plus touchdowns. Cousins had a career high 29 touchdown passes in 2015.

.599 — Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer has a .599 win percentage in his four-plus seasons in Minnesota. Zimmer, who is 45-30-1, ranks third in franchise history in terms of win percentage behind Bud Grant (.621) and Dennis Green (.610). Pete Carroll, a former Vikings assistant, has gone 86-53-1 in eight regular seasons with the Seahawks for a win percentage of .618. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 12/5/18

NFL Power Rankings: Vikings Still in Playoff Picture Despite Bump

By Chris Corso

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings still control their own destiny with four games left to play.

Minnesota is now 6-5-1 after losing to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium during Week 13. If the season ended this week, Minnesota would earn the second NFC Wild Card spot for a playoff berth.

Minnesota is on the road again this week and will visit the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football this week.

Seattle is coming off of a 43-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers and has won three games in a row. The Seahawks (7-5) would be in line for the first NFC Wild Card spot, but the No. 5 seed is the best they can do.

Experts from across the internet updated their power rankings lists, heading into the Vikings tough road matchup.

See where experts ranked the Vikings this week:

Rank: 12 Last Week’s Rank: 9 – ESPN.com We're No. 1 in: Third-down defense. For a second straight season, the Vikings are leading the league in third-down stops, allowing teams to convert on just less than 30 percent of their attempts. This is a critical facet for Minnesota's defense in forcing its will on opponents so the offense, which has gone through ebbs and flows all season, can get back on the field and attempt to score. -- Courtney Cronin

Rank: 12 Last Week’s Rank: 9 – YAHOO! Sports, Frank Schwab When the Vikings got blasted by the Bills in September, that was a sign of where this season was headed. None of their other losses are bad (Rams, Saints, Bears, Patriots) but their best win is probably against the Eagles. They’re just a mediocre team, a season after they were really good.

Rank: 9 Last Week’s Rank: 9 - Bleacher Report Staff It's tightrope time for the Minnesota Vikings after the team lost by two scores in New England in Week 13.

If the Washington Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, a Vikings team that entered the season a Super Bowl front-runner will find itself on the outside looking in where the NFC playoffs are concerned.

Frankly, Minnesota has no one to blame but itself. Every time in 2018 this team has been tested, it has failed. There was the seven-point Week 4 loss to the Rams. The 10-point defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in Week 8. Another loss in Chicago in Week 11. And Sunday's second-half collapse against the Patriots.

The Vikings are 0-4 against teams with a winning record this season—a number that doesn't bode well given a Week 14 trip to Seattle to face the 7-5 Seahawks.

"On paper," Davenport said, "this looks like a loaded roster—a team that should absolutely make the playoffs. But in reality, something's missing. Something intangible. It's simple at this point; if the Vikings lose in Seattle next week, they aren't making the playoffs. And I have little faith they won't.

Rank: 12 Last Week’s Rank: 9 – Sporting News, Vinnie Iyer The Vikings continue to lose tough marquee road games in the Mike Zimmer era. Kirk Cousins’ inconsistency is one thing; the breakdowns in defense are another that can ultimately hold Minnesota back.

Rank: 12 Last Week’s Rank: 9 – Elliot Harrison, NFL.com The Vikings fall out of the top 10 this week, with the offense unable to follow its strong Week 12 showing. The peaks-and-valleys fortunes of this outfit boggle the mind, as Minnesota is easily a top-five team in terms of talent at the right spots. An area that most analysts will point to is the offensive line -- and yet, even when provided time to survey the secondary, QB Kirk Cousins was ineffective at Gillette. Cousins barely breached the 200-yard mark despite 44 pass attempts. That kind of ratio won't win many games, especially against other playoff contenders. Fortunately for the Vikings, at least in terms of the wild-card race, both the Panthers and Packers lost. The Seahawks didn't. Guess who Minnesota plays next?

Rank: 12 Last Week’s Rank: 9 – Nate Davis,USA TODAY Sports They can't get going on ground. Defense isn't nearly as effective as 2017. And they're only half- game better than Case Keenum's Broncos.

Rank: 9 Last Week’s Rank: T-7 – Sports Illustrated, MMQB Staff Last Week’s rank: 7

Points in poll: 218

Highest-place vote: Sixth (2)

Lowest-place vote: 14th

Last week: Loss at New England, 24-10

Next week: at Seattle (Monday)

Rank: 13 Last Week’s Rank: 10 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports The offense just wasn't good enough against the Patriots. They need more from Kirk Cousins in big games.

Rank: 14 Last Week’s Rank: 13 – Mark Maske, Washington Post Note to Adam Thielen: Taking on Bill Belichick might not have been the way to go. But at least Thielen showed some competitiveness and edge. The rest of the team wilted, and QB Kirk Cousins had another turnover-marred performance in a meaningful game.

Rank: 12 Last Week’s Rank: 10 – Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk This is the team that allows Vikings fans to sleep peacefully. Because they know it’s over.

Rank: 15 Last Week’s Rank: 11 – Ryan Van Bibber, SB Nation

PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 12/5/18

Lunchbreak: Harris Keeping Even Keel Despite Gaining Starting Spot

By Eric Smith

Anthony Harris has been putting in work over the past month of the 2018 season, playing all 271 of Minnesota’s defensive snaps over the past four games.

Go back to Minnesota’s Week 8 game against New Orleans, and the Vikings safety has missed just four total defensive snaps in 324 plays. Harris has ascended into a starting role in place of Andrew Sendejo, who was put on Injured Reserve last week with a groin injury.

But even though Harris has seen his workload and role change midway through the season, Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press wrote that the 27-year-old is keeping the same approach no matter how many snaps he plays.

Mizutani wrote:

Has anything changed for Harris now that he’s the unquestioned starter?

“No,” Harris said. “My mindset is still the same. I’m still trying to come in there and make the guys around me better by being there to help whenever I can.”

Harris has taken the long way to becoming a key member of the Vikings defense.

He signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2015 after a strong career at the University of Virginia. An injury in his final year with the Cavaliers may have hurt his draft stock but not the potential seen by the Vikings.

Harris was a key special teams player early on with the Vikings, but made eight starts over the first three seasons of his career when he filled in due to injuries.

Harris has thrived in 2018, recording the first three interceptions of his career, including two in Chicago. Harris also made one of the top defensive plays of the 2017 season, as he forced a fumble and recovered it at the goal line in a conference tilt against the Rams.

Mizutani wrote that Harris has made his coaches proud as his role has expanded in the NFL.

In the opening five games this season, Harris didn’t play a single snap on defense, making an impact by playing a major role on special teams. He was a jack-of-all-trades for special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, someone he could play in pretty much any situation.

As Harris has played more defensive snaps, Priefer has watched with pride from the sidelines.

“The fun thing for me as a coach is getting to see these young men develop as special teams players,” Priefer said. “They are contributing on special teams, and they play at a high level, and then they contribute on offense and defense.”

CBS Sports: Vikings hurt by run defense in 2018 losses

The Vikings allowed 100-plus rushing yards on Sunday against the Patriots and trudged off the field with a 24-10 loss.

That’s a constant them so far in 2018, wrote John Breech of CBS Sports, as Minnesota has now lost all five games in which the defense has allowed 100 or more rushing yards.

Breech wrote:

If you can run on the Vikings, you're probably going to beat them. For the fifth time this year, the Vikings gave up more than 100 yards rushing, and for the fifth time, they lost. The Vikings seemed to be baffled by a Patriots game plan that included seven different players getting a carry.

Breech gave the Vikings an overall grade of a ‘C-minus’ for Sunday’s performance, which dropped the Vikings to 6-5-1 on the season.

Entering Week 14 of the regular season, Minnesota is still the sixth seed in the NFC postseason picture.

Breech added that although the Vikings trailed by just a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Minnesota’s offense couldn’t put together any late momentum.

Offensively, the Vikings ended this game with three disastrous possessions. First, they failed to convert on fourth down with just over six minutes left to play. Things only got worse on Minnesota's next two possessions and that's because they both ended with [Kirk] Cousins throwing an interception.

Pro Bowl Voting Update

Three Vikings players are among the top-three vote getters among their positions groups in the NFC.

Danielle Hunter is leading defensive ends in the conference and ranks third in the NFL.

Harrison Smith is second among free safeties in the NFC and third in the NFL.

Adam Thielen is third among receivers in the NFC and fifth in the NFL.

Click here to vote for Hunter, Smith, Thielen and their Vikings teammates.

PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 12/5/18

A Look at NFC Playoff Picture Entering Week 14

By Craig Peters

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings knew that facing the Patriots in December in New England was going to be a tough challenge.

Minnesota, however, didn’t know how much help it would receive across the league in jockeying for a spot in the NFC Playoffs.

The Giants defeated the Bears in overtime, and the Panthers lost to the Buccaneers in the early slate of games.

The Seahawks, however, manhandled a depleted 49ers squad to move into the No. 5 seed if the playoffs started this week.

The Vikings slid from the fifth seed to the six seed with four left to play, starting with Monday’s significant clash in Seattle.

Here’s a look at the NFC standings, along with the remaining schedules, win percentages of upcoming opponents and a status update.

1. Los Angeles Rams (11-1)

12/9 @ CHI (8-4)

12/16 PHI (6-6)

12/23 @ AZ (3-9)

12/30 SF (2-10)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (19-29)

Opponents’ win percentage: .396

Status: The Rams clinched the NFC West and a playoff berth in Detroit and moved back ahead of the Saints for the top spot, thanks to New Orleans losing at Dallas.

2. New Orleans Saints (10-2)

12/9 @ TB (5-7)

12/17 @ CAR (6-6)

12/23 PIT (7-4-1)

12/30 CAR (6-6)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (24-23-1)

Opponents’ win percentage: .510

Status: The Saints can clinch the NFC South and a playoff berth with one more victory.

3. Chicago Bears (8-4)

12/9 LAR (11-1)

12/16 GB (4-7-1)

12/23 @ SF (2-10)

12/30 @ MIN (6-5-1)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (23-23-2)

Opponents’ win percentage: .500

Status: The Bears maintained their game-and-a-half lead over the Vikings for the division but had their six-game win streak snapped.

4. Dallas Cowboys (7-5)

12/9 PHI (6-6)

12/16 @ IND (6-6)

12/23 TB (5-7)

12/30 @ NYG (4-8)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (21-27)

Opponents’ win percentage: .438

Status: The Cowboys began their four-game win streak with a victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia.

5. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)

12/10 MIN (6-5-1)

12/16 @ SF (2-10)

12/23 KC (10-2)

12/30 AZ (3-9)

Remaining foes’ combined records: 21-26-1

Opponents’ win percentage: .448

Status: The Seahawks have won three in a row and went wire-to-wire twice with the Rams. Seattle knows the best it can do is a No. 5 seed.

6. Minnesota Vikings (6-5-1)

12/10 @ SEA (7-5)

12/16 MIA (6-6)

12/23 @ DET (4-8)

12/30 CHI (8-4)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (25-23)

Opponents’ win percentage: .521

Status: Minnesota goes from one tough venue to another, just on the opposite coast for a game with even higher stakes.

7. Carolina Panthers (6-6)

12/9 @ CLE (4-7-1)

12/17 NO (10-2)

12/23 ATL (4-8)

12/30 @ NO (10-2)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (28-19-1)

Opponents’ win percentage: .594

Status: The Panthers no-win November has extended into December with Carolina’s fourth consecutive loss, a 24-17 defeat in which Cam Newton had four interceptions.

8. Philadelphia Eagles (6-6)

12/9 @ DAL (7-5)

12/16 @ LAR (10-2)

12/23 HOU (9-3)

12/30 @ WAS (6-6)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (32-16)

Opponents’ win percentage: .667

Status: The Eagles can even their season score with the Cowboys in the first of three consecutive games against division leaders.

9. Washington Redskins (6-5)

12/9 NYG (4-8)

12/16 @ JAX (4-8)

12/22 @ TEN (6-6)

12/30 PHI (6-6)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (20-28)

Opponents’ win percentage: .417

Status: The Redskins have dropped four of five and lost quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colt McCoy to broken legs.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7)

12/9 NO (10-2)

12/16 @ BAL (7-5)

12/23 @ DAL (7-5)

12/30 ATL (4-8)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (28-20)

Opponents’ win percentage: .583

Status: After a four-game skid, the Bucs have won two in a row. They are the only team to win in New Orleans this season.

11. Green Bay Packers (4-7-1)

12/9 ATL (4-8)

12/16 @ CHI (8-4)

12/23 @ NYJ (3-9)

12/30 DET (4-8)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (19-29)

Opponents’ win percentage: .396

Status: In addition to being the end of the Mike McCarthy era in Green Bay, the Packers home loss to the Cardinals on Sunday dropped their postseason chances to two percent, according to the

New York Times’ Playoff Simulator.

12. Atlanta Falcons (4-8)

12/9 @ GB (4-7-1)

12/16 AZ (3-9)

12/23 @ CAR (6-6)

12/30 @ TB (5-7)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (18-29-1)

Opponents’ win percentage: .385

Status: The Falcons have a one-percent chance of making the playoffs after losing four in a row. The remaining schedule is fairly friendly for a late-season surge, but it might be too little too late. Everyone listed hereafter has a lower likelihood of making the postseason.

13. New York Giants (4-8)

12/9 @ WAS (6-6)

12/16 TEN (6-6)

12/23 @ IND (6-6)

12/30 DAL (7-5)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (25-23)

Opponents’ win percentage: .521

Status: The Giants helped the Vikings immensely, even if they did allow Chicago to tie the game late. New York has improved over the course of the season and could play a big factor in how the NFC and AFC playoffs shake out.

14. Detroit Lions (4-8)

12/9 @ AZ (3-9)

12/16 @ BUF (4-8)

12/23 MIN (6-5-1)

12/30 @ GB (4-7-1)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (17-29-2)

Opponents’ win percentage: .375

Status: The Lions, who have lost five of six, essentially have one game remaining against a playoff contender and would love to play spoiler for Minnesota in a couple of weeks.

15. Arizona Cardinals (3-9)

12/9 DET (4-8)

12/16 @ ATL (4-8)

12/23 LAR (11-1)

12/30 @ SEA (7-5)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (26-22)

Opponents’ win percentage: .542

Status: The Cardinals delayed elimination from the postseason for at least one week by becoming the first road team to win at Green Bay this season.

16. San Francisco 49ers (2-10)

12/9 DEN (6-6)

12/16 SEA (7-5)

12/23 CHI (8-4)

12/30 @ LAR (11-1)

Remaining foes’ combined records: (32-16)

Opponents’ win percentage: .667

Status: The 49ers became the first team to be officially eliminated from the postseason field but will close their season against four teams in the running for playoff berths, including division- leading Chicago and the NFC West Champion Los Angeles Rams. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 12/5/18

Vikings to Raise Awareness Through ‘My Cause, My Cleats’ Campaign

By Lindsey Young

EAGAN, Minn. – When the Vikings host the Dolphins on Dec. 16, their feet will promote causes close to their hearts.

Forty-eight Vikings players will don custom-designed cleats that have been recently unveiled to each athlete. The footwear is painted to represent respective causes of the players’ choices and are part of the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative.

Among the causes represented are some players’ personal foundations or charities, including The Thielen Foundation and the Raise the Barr Foundation.

Others include causes with which players have personal or long-lasting connections to.

Linebacker Kentrell Brothers and wide receiver Aldrick Robinson each will honor immediate family members with their cleats.

When Brothers was a senior at Missouri and preparing for the NFL Draft, he was contacted by his mother, who told him she was experiencing dizziness and tingling of her arms. After undergoing tests, she learned that she had Chiari Malformation, a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal.

“I definitely didn’t have any idea [what it was], and she didn’t, either,” Brothers said. “As an NFL player, I have the opportunity with my platform to spread awareness about a disease that a lot of people don’t know about.”

Brothers’ mother has since undergone surgery to treat the condition. Shortly after the surgery, her sister was also diagnosed with Chiari.

Brothers hopes to continue educating himself about the condition while also expanding understanding for others. He is grateful for the NFL giving players the window of opportunity through My Cause, My Cleats.

“Knowing people will be watching us and their favorite players, whether it’s me or somebody else, as long as they see somebody’s cleats and learn about one of the foundations … I feel like that’s a win-win,” Brothers said.

Robinson’s cleats feature interlocking puzzle pieces and promote the Autism Speaks organization in honor of his younger brother.

“When you think of autism, you think of somebody who doesn’t quite have it all together. And these cleats, the puzzle pieces are all put together. It just speaks a lot about how you should see them,” Robinson said. “They might not have it all together, but you should see them as normal people.

“We see him the same as anybody else. And that’s how we hope that everybody in the world sees him, as a normal kid,” Robinson added. “Just because he has autism doesn’t make him different; he has a circumstance, but he’s still normal in [our] eyes.”

Vikings Players Unbox Their "My Cause, My Cleats" Vikings players received their "My Cause, My Cleats" that they will wear for the game against the Miami Dolphins at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Below is the current list of Vikings who will raise awareness with the help of their cleats:

RB Ameer Abdullah | Black Youth Project | Social Justice

The Black Youth Project will examine the attitudes, resources and culture of the young, urban black millennial, exploring how these factors and others influence their decision-making, norms and behavior in critical domains such as sex, health and politics.

CB Mackensie Alexander | Special Olympics | Special Needs

Alexander volunteered at a Special Olympics community event and had a wonderful time serving and coaching the youth.

K Dan Bailey | Muscular Dystrophy Association | Health

MDA is a nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research.

While no one in his immediate family is affected by MD, Bailey has a number of friends or family acquaintances who have had children with the disease.

“There are a ton of things to support out there, but for me, I’ve had some interaction with MD over the years and understand how it affects the families and kids,” said Bailey, who is participating in My Cause, My Cleats for the first time.

“The platform is there, so why not use it? Especially with how visible things are now with social media,” Bailey said. “[Players are] taking pictures of them and posting pictures on whatever. So I think the platform’s grown in that sense, and I think it’s great that the league gives us an opportunity to put our own … flare on it, but even more so, bringing attention to these important causes.” anthony-barr-cleats-120318 Minnesota Vikings LB Anthony Barr | Raise the Barr Foundation | Supporting single mothers

Raised by a single mother himself, Barr started his foundation to “break the cycle of poverty for low-income, single-parent families” by providing resources for single parents to access a post- secondary education or certification.

WR Chad Beebe | Freedom Firm | Sex trafficking

Freedom Firm seeks to eliminate child prostitution in India by providing rescue, restoration and justice. The program holds a fundraising banquet in Beebe’s home state of Illinois, and his father, former NFL receiver Don Beebe, has served as a keynote speaker at the event.

“That’s kind of how it started for me,” Beebe said of his connection to Freedom Firm. “The biggest thing, though, is bringing more awareness to it. I think [sex trafficking is] something that’s not talked about a lot, and it’s pretty big even in the United States.”

RB Mike Boone | American Cancer Society | Cancer

Boone is passionate about supporting his local American Cancer Society.

DE Tashawn Bower | American Cancer Society | Cancer

Bower is passionate about the local American Cancer Society and is proud to support the organization on his cleats.

LB Kentrell Brothers | Chiari and Syringomyelia Foundation | Health and wellness

Brothers’ mother was recently diagnosed and had surgery for Chiari. His aunt also is receiving treatment for the disease. tyler-conklin-cleats-120318 Minnesota Vikings TE Tyler Conklin | KnowResolve | Youth suicide prevention and awareness

KnowResolve is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mental health and preventing youth suicides through outreach, advocacy and education. Conklin’s mother is a volunteer for the organization.

RB Dalvin Cook | Minnesota Vikings Foundation | Youth development

The Minnesota Vikings Foundation echoes Cook’s passion to help the local youth that the foundation serves around Minneapolis and St. Paul.

QB Kirk Cousins | Urban Homeworks | Community Development

Urban Homeworks is one of the organizations that Cousins and his wife support through the Julie & Kirk Cousins Foundation. Located in Minneapolis, the program transforms vacant properties into dignified housing, engaging people in what their neighborhoods look like and promoting an active form of neighboring.

WR Stefon Diggs | American Heart Association | Heart disease

Diggs plans to raise awareness for the American Heart Association by once again supporting the organization for his My Cause, My Cleats cause of choice.

LB Devante Downs | American Cancer Society | Cancer

Downs is passionate about serving his local American Cancer Society.

C Pat Elflein | Crescent Cove | Children’s health / hospice

Crescent Cove offers care and support to children and young adults with a shortened life expectancy and their families. It is Minnesota’s first and only home designed just for children and their unique needs.

Elflein was made aware of Crescent Cove and visited the facility with his fiancée. It was after their visit that he felt strongly about supporting the program.

“It was an incredible place. The work the people do there and the vibe that they create – I could feel it right when I walked in the door. It’s sad and unfortunate situations that the kids are in, but it was an immediate feeling of happiness when you walked into the home. For the people at Crescent Cove to create an environment like that for kids who are at end of life, it was something very special for me to witness, and I’m happy to represent them.” ben-gedeon-cleats-120318 Minnesota Vikings LB Ben Gedeon | Navy Special Operations Foundation | Military

The Navy Special Operations Foundation hits close to home for Gedeon, whose brother serves in the U.S. Navy.

DE Everson Griffen | American Cancer Society | Breast cancer

Griffen’s mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor, and he has been a long-term supporter of the American Cancer Society.

FB C.J. Ham | Boys & Girls Clubs | Youth development

Ham grew up going to the Boys & Girls Clubs every day. Being bullied as a child gave him the inspiration to help other young people who are bullied.

S Anthony Harris | One Love Foundation | Domestic violence

Yeardley Love, the victim that the One Love Foundation was founded in memory of, was a student at Harris’ alma mater, Virginia. Harris wants to help raise awareness because he believes no one should become the victim of domestic violence.

CB Holton Hill | Pancreatic Cancer Action Network / American Heart Association | Health

Pancreatic cancer and heart disease carry weight with Hill, who has people close to him who have been affected by each. starkey-cleats-120318 Minnesota Vikings T Rashod Hill | Starkey Hearing Foundation | Hearing impaired

Starkey Hearing Foundation uses hearing to show kindness and compassion in others, in addition to changing lives around the world. The foundation has pledged to provide more than one million hearing aids this decade to those in need.

Hill’s daughter, Codie, is hearing-impaired, and she was recently fitted with a hearing aid by Starkey.

DT Jalyn Holmes | Option2, Inc. | Student athletes

Option2 is a nonprofit educational program dedicated to providing services that will help student- athletes excel in life with or without sports. Option2 holds a special place in Holmes’ heart because it works to create a society in which every student athlete, regardless of background, understands the importance of integrity, academics and having other outlets available.

DE Danielle Hunter | Boys & Girls Clubs | Youth Development

Hunter spends free time giving back to Boys & Girls Clubs in the Twin Cities.

DT Jaleel Johnson | Boys & Girls Clubs | Youth Development

Johnson is passionate about supporting underserved youth through the Boys & Girls Clubs.

C Brett Jones | Best Buddies | Special needs

Best Buddies is the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Jones has a close relationship with his local Best Buddies organization in Saskatchewan, Canada. linval-joseph-cleats-120318 Minnesota Vikings DT Linval Joseph | Bully the Bull | Anti-bullying

As someone who experienced bullying when he was younger, Joseph is passionate about using his platform to stop bullying across all ages. The defensive tackle recently started supporting Bully the Bull, a character that travels to schools around the country to promote an anti-bullying message.

“It’s starting to become a bigger [message], and that’s all we’re trying to do,” Joseph said. “We’re trying to make the world a safer place.”

S Jayron Kearse | Big Brothers Big Sisters | Youth mentoring

Kearse enjoys finding time to volunteer and serve his local Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities program.

LB Eric Kendricks | The Sheridan Story / Sacks for Kids | Childhood hunger

Each season, Kendricks teams up with The Sheridan Story to launch “Sacks for Kids,” a campaign to raise money for local weekend food programs. This season, the linebacker championed “Sacktober” and asked fans to pledge a dollar amount for each sack the Vikings logged during the month of October.

LS Kevin McDermott | American Indian College Fund | Post-secondary education

Founded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native students’ access to higher education, consistently receiving top ratings from national independent charity evaluators.

McDermott’s parents grew up doing a lot of work on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and his cousin serves as the Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. Through that role, he focuses on Indian Affairs on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, the Crow Creek Indian Reservation, the Lower Brule Indian Reservation and the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

“I’ve spent time on the [Pine Ridge] reservation and have seen the need for funds for kids to get an education and go to college,” McDermott said. “I thought this year would be a good year to start supporting the cause.”

TE David Morgan | Le Sueur Sheriff’s Youth Project | Youth development

Morgan is a huge advocate for the Sheriff’s Youth Project, which strives to provide opportunities for youth who are in need. The organization’s objective is to provide youth with enhancements in their respective communities.

RB Latavius Murray | United Heroes League | Military

Murray, the Vikings Salute to Service nominee for 2018, is the second NFL player to serve as an ambassador for the United States Heroes League (Kyle Rudolph was the first). His fiancée, Shauntay Skanes, is proudly serving in the U.S. Navy, and Murray is passionate about supporting her as well as the nation’s military members and veterans.

T Storm Norton | Ronald McDonald House | Children’s health

Norton has spent time at his local Ronald McDonald House volunteering. RMHC provides vital resources and compassionate care to children and their families being served by leading hospitals worldwide.

T Brian O’Neill | Special Olympics | Special needs

O’Neill volunteered with Special Olympics during a Vikings community event earlier this season and is extremely invested in the cause. He also has plans to record public service announcements for the organization.

G Mike Remmers | Police Activities League | Youth Development

The Minneapolis Police Activities League is a nonprofit organization based on the philosophy that when given a choice, kids will choose to participate in positive character-building activities rather than committing crimes. PAL believes every child deserves a safe space to play.

CB Xavier Rhodes | Boys & Girls Clubs | Diversity and education

Rhodes is passionate about inner-city youth and children who may need more 1-on-1 attention. The cornerback hosts various events throughout the season that benefit young people and believes in building strong relationships with youth.

DT Sheldon Richardson | Minnesota Vikings Foundation | Youth development

The Vikings have felt like home to Richardson, who chose the Minnesota Vikings Foundation to honor the youth and mission that the foundation carries out around the Twin Cities.

WR Aldrick Robinson | Autism Speaks | Autism awareness

Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions across the spectrum and throughout the lifespan for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Robinson’s younger brother is autistic, and he is wearing cleats to honor him.

TE Kyle Rudolph | U of M Masonic Children’s Hospital | Children’s health

In addition to Kyle Rudolph's End Zone at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, the Rudolphs have supported numerous programs and events for hospital patients and families, and frequently visit the hospital, building connections with patients and families.

CB Marcus Sherels | Best Christmas Ever | Underserved communities

Best Christmas Ever is a nonprofit organization that works with community partners to lift up families who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own.

During the week of the Vikings-Saints matchup this season, Sherels teamed up with Saints punter Thomas Morstead and his foundation, What You Give Will Grow. The pair partnered to raise funds to support “Best Christmas Ever” families in Minnesota and the Greater New Orleans area.

kyle-sloter-cleats-120318 Minnesota Vikings QB Kyle Sloter | Breaking Boundaries Foundation | Student athletes

Sloter is passionate about giving student-athletes the tools to succeed. The Breaking Boundaries Foundation’s mission is to empower students of all ages and give them a platform to showcase their academic and athletic success.

S Harrison Smith | Big Brothers Big Sisters | Youth development

Smith is continuing his support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. The Vikings safety annually holds various activities in order to connect with the program’s youth and raise awareness and funds.

WR Adam Thielen | Thielen Foundation | Youth development

Adam and his wife, Caitlin, founded the Thielen Foundation and launched the nonprofit in September. The Thielens’ first partnership was with the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital and specifically the Pediatric Behavioral Health unit, the region’s largest and most comprehensive unit of its kind.

RB Roc Thomas | Boys & Girls Clubs | Youth development

Thomas spends free time giving back to the local Boys & Girls Clubs and is passionate about serving youth.

WR Laquon Treadwell | Boys & Girls Clubs / Feed My Starving Children | Youth Development

Treadwell spends his free time volunteering for underserved youth and also recently spent time packaging meals at Feed My Starving Children in Eagan.

CB Trae Waynes | Grace Centers of Hope | Substance abuse and homelessness

Grace Centers of Hope is a nonprofit, Christian organization committed to positively changing the lives of the unwanted, addicted and homeless through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, personal accountability, life skills education and work-related programs.

“My fiancée has volunteered at Grace Centers of Hope since she was young, and I became involved once I met her in college,” Waynes said. “Not only does GCH provide shelter to those that have lost everything due to addiction, but they also require the people enrolled to get their GED and work during the time they’re there.”

DE Stephen Weatherly | One Love Foundation | Relationship violence

Touched by his upbringing and affected by what he called a verbally and emotionally abusive relationship with his first girlfriend, Weatherly raised his hand when the One Love Foundation asked if any Vanderbilt athletes would be interested in leading a seminar about the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships. The One Love Foundation was established after the murder of Virginia lacrosse player Yeardley Love in 2010.

P Matt Wile | The Rescued Dog | Animal welfare

Wile and his girlfriend are passionate about animal welfare and adopted their own dog from The Rescued Dog shelter.

LB Eric Wilson | ACES | Education

Athletes Committed to Educating Students (ACES) works to reduce the academic achievement gap in the Twin Cities and improve the likelihood of success for underserved students.

Wilson is an active supporter of using sports as a tool to succeed in the classroom.

WR Brandon Zylstra | Adarius 4 Autism | Autism awareness

Adarius 4 Autism envisions a community where all people have the capability to create opportunities for themselves and others. The program assists youth diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by offering needs-based training to ease the transition to becoming a contributing member of society.

Zylstra’s teammate from the Canadian Football League, Adarius Bowman, is the president of the foundation. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 12/5/18

After Further Review: Vikings 3-and-Punt Hurts Between Pats Touchdowns

By Craig Peters fter Further Review is a deeper look at plays or stats after Vikings games…

The Patriots offense responded to a 10-all tie in the third quarter with a four-play touchdown drive.

But what about Minnesota’s opportunity to strike back?

Rather than answering with a scoring drive or flipping field position, Minnesota went a quick three-and-punt and, to make matters worse, took a sack on third down, further hurting field position on the first play of the fourth quarter.

On a snap from the Minnesota 20, Matt Wile’s punt traveled 53 yards, but it was returned 23 by Julian Edelman to the 50.

The Patriots added what proved to be the final score of the 24-10 decision just six plays later, with help from a 20-yard pass interference call against Holton Hill to start the drive.

Here’s a look at the Vikings offensive sequence between a pair of touchdowns by the Patriots.

Q3, 0:35 remaining — First-and-10 at the Minnesota 25

The Vikings go with 11 personnel with Latavius Murray at running back and Kyle Rudolph at tight end. Aldrick Robinson is lined up at wide receiver to the left of the formation, and Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are bunched near Rudolph.

The Patriots load the box with nine defenders, with Stephon Gilmore across from Diggs, and J.C. Jackson on Robinson.

The Vikings use play-action with Kirk Cousins faking a handoff to Murray before dropping deep. Robinson, Thielen and Diggs run deep routes, and Murray runs a shorter route for a check-down option. after-further-review-1b-120418 Rudolph stays in to help pass protect and works against Kyle Van Noy, but the Patriots aren’t fooled by the play fake and only rush three players.

Cousins has plenty of time, but the Patriots have three defenders in the area of Robinson and Thielen. He fires down the field beyond Robinson, and the ball lands incomplete at the 25.

Q4, 15:00 remaining — Third-and-5 at the Minnesota 30

After a 5-yard run to the perimeter by Murray to end the third quarter, the Vikings bring in Ameer Abdullah as a receiving option. after-further-review-2a-120418 The running back originally lines up inside of Rudolph, but they switch before the snap.

Cousins is in the shotgun with Murray at his left. Diggs and Thielen are at the outside receiver spots.

The Patriots show a Cover 0 “all-out blitz” before the snap but drop Devin McCourty into coverage on the right side of their formation. Over on the left, at the line of scrimmage, they run a “game” with Van Noy taking on Mike Remmers and Brian O’Neill and Adam Butler taking on Pat Elflein. Their ability to eat up three blockers enables Trey Flowers to become a free runner toward Cousins. after-further-review-2b-120418 The Vikings opted to send Murray and Rudolph on routes, along with Abdullah, Diggs and Thielen, but no one is open before Flowers reaches Cousins unimpeded for the sack. PUBLICATION: VIKING Update DATE: 12/5/18

Vikings ‘not surprised’ by playoff position, not ‘panicking’

By Tim Yotter

The Minnesota Vikings’ loss to the New England Patriots knocked them out of the top six playoff spots in the NFC, for about 30 hours. After Washington’s loss on Monday night, the Vikings are back at the No. 6 seed.

Of course, with four regular-season games left, including a trip to the streaking Seattle Seahawks, everything can and will change on a week-to-week basis. At 6-5-1, the Vikings are in a precarious position. Since their Week 10 bye, the Vikings are 1-2, with losses to the Chicago Bears and Patriots, and a win against the Green Bay Packers, who have now fired head coach Mike McCarthy.

“I think guys have a sense of urgency, but I don’t think guys are panicking,” safety Anthony Harris said. “We go in each week preparing as hard as we can. The effort is there. We’re trying to get a win each week. We’re not really focusing on what other teams are doing right now. It’s all about just focusing on ourselves and controlling what we can control. We feel like the things we want to accomplish are still attainable. We got to put our foot on the gas and we’re ready to get going this week and we’re excited.”

The Vikings do still control their playoff destiny.

If they win out, they are in the playoffs. If they win out – with Seattle, Miami, Detroit and Chicago remaining – and the Bears lose one in addition to the season finale in Minnesota, the Vikings would defend their NFC North title. As an added bonus, the Bears face the Los Angeles Rams (11-1) this weekend.

Winning four straight games seems like a tall task for a team that has a 6-5-1 record and has lost two of their last three. They also haven’t beaten a team that currently has a winning record, something that two (Seattle and Chicago) of their remaining four opponents possess.

“I feel fine about my team. You know, I think we continue to learn a lot about ourselves,” head coach Mike Zimmer said after the Patriots loss. “You know, I think we’ve got a good football team, we just got to play better than we did tonight. This one game won’t define us. We’ve got four games left, you know? The season is still in front of us, whatever we want to do.”

Zimmer has tried to strike an encouraging tone for much of the season, believing that he has a good team that hasn’t always shown it on the field. But as the regular season winds down, the margin for error becomes slimmer by the week.

“You know, the mood’s never good when you lose and so, if you lose a game, it probably won’t be too good this week,” Zimmer said on Monday. “But I thought going into yesterday’s game they were fine. The practices were good. We actually practiced really good, especially Thursday and Friday of last week. There was hardly any mental mistakes, hardly any errors. I thought we’d play really well.”

They didn’t.

While postgame Zimmer seemed especially frustrated with an offense that produced less than 300 yards for the fourth time this season, on Monday he also put the onus on his defense and special teams.

Running back Dalvin Cook had his best game of the season, averaging a whopping 9.3 yards per carry, but he rushed only nine time. Cook expressed support for offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and said the team isn’t frustrated with its record right now.

“I’m not frustrated. I’m not surprised because we know the games that we let slip away from us that we could have easily won,” he said. “We’re not surprised because the games that we did let slip away, we were right there except for one of them and that’s probably Buffalo. All the rest of the games that we lost, we just didn’t do things. We know what we’ve got to work on and the things that we’ve got to get better. It’s nothing that’s not fixable. We’ve just got to go in and work on it in practice and get better.” PUBLICATION : 1500 ESPN DATE: 12/5/18

Should the Vikings go no-huddle?

By Matthew Coller

EAGAN, Minn. — The NFL has seen its fair share of growth in hurry-up offenses over the last 30 years.

In the mid-80s, Sam Wyche and the Cincinnati Bengals invented the “sugar huddle,” in which their offense would come together for only a couple seconds before hustling back up to the line of scrimmage.

“Sometimes we use it to keep personnel off the field, sometimes to change the tempo of the game, and sometimes to force defenses out of a certain coverage,” Wyche said in 1986.

Before the Bengals’ Super Bowl matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in 1989, Wyche had a different way to describe it:

“We call it the attack offense,” he said. “We are attacking the defense. It’s an attempt to restrict the matchups to the previous down, to try to freeze the defense from bringing in its nickel defense. We think it gives us an edge.”

The Buffalo Bills and the “K-Gun” offense went to four Super Bowls using a no-huddle offense.

Years later, the NFL saw Peyton Manning call everything at the line of scrimmage. And then Chip Kelly burst on the scene in 2013 with an up-tempo style that led the Eagles to a top-ranked offense.

As they always do, NFL defenses made adaptations, but offenses took from Manning and Kelly. Last year, the New York Times found that some teams were using no-huddle for around 25 plays per game.

The 2018 Minnesota Vikings have not been that type of team.

No-huddle data can be murky because of differences in definition by play-by-play scorers from stadium to stadium, but according to Pro-Football Reference, quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown 51 passes with his team in hurry-up offense, completing 37 for 418 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a 101.6 rating.

Comparing those numbers to other QBs around the league, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger has 112 no- huddle passes whereas Saints QB Drew Brees has just 11 throws out of no-huddle.

In a 24-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, the Vikings’ only touchdown drive came when they flipped the up-tempo switch at the end of the half. Cousins completed five straight passes — two of which went for more than 20 yards — and finished the drive with a five-yard TD throw to Adam Thielen.

“They were giving us a lot of really unorthodox looks defensively, so that was part of it, not to allow them to get into those things and get right on the ball so they can’t substitute, some of that,” head coach Mike Zimmer said on Monday. “I think there’s a place for some of that, and they did that to us some. They’d get up on the ball and snap it quick. Then they’d get up on the ball and make their checks and do whatever they need to do there. I’ve always said that I think there’s a place for that.”

The drive’s biggest play came on a no-huddle throw to tight end Kyle Rudolph, which came right after a 23-yard quick slant to Stefon Diggs.

New England’s defense got set, but left Rudolph one-on-one with a defensive back — a clear mismatch.

The Vikings rushed up to the line of scrimmage and ran a read-option. At this point, the Patriots’ defense appeared to be reeling after giving up two big plays. Notice right before Cousins takes the snap, New England’s defenders are just getting set. Cook bursts forward for five yards.

Zimmer said that advantage of going no-huddle is giving the defense the feeling of playing catch-up.

“I tell the team all the time, when teams get in the huddle and get out of the huddle and get up to the line fast, snap the ball or don’t snap the ball, change the tempo throughout the course of the ballgame, all they’re trying to do is take your breath away,” Zimmer said. “You know, ‘Oh, I can’t catch my breath, we’re doing this, they’re doing that, where do we line up?’ Yeah, it puts a lot of stress on the defense. That’s part of why you do it.”

After a completion and timeout, the Vikings threw a short pass to Cook for no gain and then ran back up to the line of scrimmage to run another play. This time, Cook motioned out, which caused some confusion on the Patriots’ defense. Notice No. 23 is waived over by No. 21 to cover Cook. That gives Cousins an indicator that the Pats are in man coverage — a good look for a quick screen to Diggs.

Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker wrote an article in favor of using the no-huddle offense several years ago. One of his main points was that it helps a team’s offensive line. He wrote:

The biggest benefit by far, however, is the effect that the no-huddle has on the conditioning of the defense, and the defensive line in particular.

Watch the defensive line try to rush the passer the next time when a team goes into the no-huddle offense. By the third or fourth consecutive play, the defensive linemen look like they are in quicksand. Rushing the passer takes great energy and force, and the lactic acid builds up in linemen’s muscles to the point where they have little to no shot of getting to the quarterback. Quarterbacks have all kinds of time then to throw and can simply pick apart the opposing team’s secondary.

Cousins has only been sacked once in no-huddle this year, per PFR.

Cook has only run the ball seven times out of no-huddle, so there isn’t much that can be taken from that data, but he is having far more success running out of the shotgun than from under center. Most times when teams run no-huddle, they use shotgun. Cook averages 7.0 yards per carry when his QB isn’t under center and just 2.6 YPC under center.

The Vikings certainly shouldn’t switch to a high tempo all of the time based on one good drive in New England, but Cousins said using it more could be a consideration.

“I think it’s something we have to talk about,” Cousins said. “Any time you can do as well as we’ve done in that two-minute mode it has to say something about what we do well or trying to emphasize something we could be good at. The coaches have to look and decide what they want to do. We seem to have been productive in it.”

As Zimmer pointed out last week, if the Vikings go three-and-out and the drive only takes one minute off the clock, Minnesota’s defense will be stressed. The Vikings already rank 25th in the amount of average time they hold the ball per drive at 2:33.

The Vikings will have to make some tweaks this week. Next up is a key matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, who are tied for the ninth best defense in points allowed with the Patriots. PUBLICATION : The Athletic DATE: 12/5/18

Vikings Film Room: Why it’s too soon to be calling for John DeFilippo’s head

By Arif Hasan

The Minnesota Vikings have been a defensive team that pushed its chips in on improving the offense the past two offseasons to put it over the edge. From 2017 to 2018, it ranked second in total guaranteed money doled out to offensive free agents and ranked first overall – by a hefty margin – in average contract value per year given to offensive free agents.

While Kirk Cousins is clearly the headliner of that group, it should be noted that the Vikings also spent $22.8 million per year on Latavius Murray, Mike Remmers and Riley Reiff in 2017 to go along with Cousins in 2018.

In points per drive, the defense ranks sixth in the NFL while the offense ranks 24th – in fact, the defense and the offense have generally seen the same results on the field; 1.74 points allowed on defense and 1.79 points created on offense.

Similarly, the defense ranks sixth in advanced statistics like Football Outsiders’ DVOA – which combines explosive plays and success rate to create a holistic play-by-play metric – but the offense ranks 17th.

It’s not necessarily surprising that the defense is outperforming the offense, but the biggest issue seems to be that the offense isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. The Vikings are up against the cap because of those recent offensive investments, and with the seventh-most money spent on the offense in the NFL, they aren’t getting their money’s worth.

It’s natural to cast a critical eye on the offensive coordinator. Head coach Mike Zimmer has made it clear that the playcalling hasn’t aligned with what he wants out of an offense after several games, and there have been moments in every game where the offense seems out of sync.

It’s difficult to parse, however, what responsibility the offensive coordinator has for the underperformance and what level of impact the level of talent on the field has. The Vikings have phenomenal – if sometimes injured – receivers, as well as an emerging talent at running back. To pair with that, they have a marquee quarterback and a solid tight end. On the other hand, the struggles on the offensive line are well- documented and depth at nearly every position has been a concern.

To see if there was some way to account for a difference in talent and offensive coordinator, I looked at the last five years of Pro Football Focus data and projected an “expected” points per drive from an offense based on their PFF grades in passing, receiving, pass blocking, rushing and run blocking. The difference between their actual points per drive and their expected points per drive might give us a clue as to the talent of the coordinator.

In theory, this works because PFF only assigns positive or negative grades based on the performance of a player given their job – a difficult catch-and-run that only results in two yards will often get a higher grade than an open catch on blown coverage for 15 yards. While luck plays a significant role in discrepancies – a dropped interception carries the same grade as a caught one – it can still provide us with a rough approximation of the offensive coordinating talent at hand.

For reference, here are the top 10 scores in offensive points over expected across those five years:

Team Year Offensive Playcaller Expected Points Per Drive Actual Points Per Drive New Orleans Saints 2016 Sean Payton 2.12 2.59 Carolina Panthers 2017 Mike Shula 1.62 1.97 San Francisco 49ers 2016 Chip Kelly 1.21 1.55 New York Giants 2015 Ben McAdoo 1.71 2.03 Los Angeles Rams 2017 Sean McVay 2.03 2.33 Denver Broncos 2013 Adam Gase 2.55 2.83 New York Jets 2015 Chan Gailey 1.67 1.95 San Diego Chargers 2016 Ken Whisenhunt 1.83 2.09 Dallas Cowboys 2016 Scott Linehan 2.20 2.45 New England Patriots 2014 Josh McDaniels 2.15 2.40 While there are two notable fired offensive playcallers – Mike Shula and Chip Kelly – it should be noted that two found head coaching positions after their marquee seasons (McAdoo and Gase) and another two are currently head coaches. Linehan and Gailey earned praise for their performances in their respective years while Whisenhunt was the only staff member to be retained after the Chargers otherwise cleared house, including hiring a new head coach.

The bottom 10 features quite a few fired offensive playcallers, with only first-year coordinators surviving the cut:

Team Year Offensive Playcaller Expected Points Per Drive Actual Points Per Drive New York Giants 2013 Kevin Gilbride 1.60 1.33 Atlanta Falcons 2015 Kyle Shanahan 2.12 1.84 Miami Dolphins 2015 Zac Taylor 1.82 1.52 Tennessee Titans 2014 Ken Whisenhunt 1.57 1.25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2013 Mike Sullivan 1.73 1.41 St Louis Rams 2015 Rob Boras 1.62 1.29 Chicago Bears 2016 Dowell Loggains 1.84 1.49 Houston Texans 2013 Rick Dennison 1.64 1.29 Chicago Bears 2017 Dowell Loggains 1.68 1.32 Miami Dolphins 2013 Mike Sherman 1.98 1.56 Rob Boras and Kyle Shanahan – first year playcallers – stayed on for at least one more year, with Shanahan making the most of his extra time in Atlanta.

It’s not a perfect system for identifying over- or underperforming offensive coordinators, especially because those coordinators are positioned to put their players in positions to win, meaning that they also exert an influence in PFF grades.

But it’s a fairly good starting point, and it’s one that should concern the Vikings. They rank second-to-last this year in points over expected, edging out the Arizona Cardinals – who fired their coordinator – and falling behind the Raiders, Jaguars, Bills and Browns – two of whom have also fired their coordinator. Right ahead of them are the Packers… who just fired their offensive playcaller, head coach Mike McCarthy.

Given the history of underperforming offenses, there’s something to be said about giving first-year coordinators another year before letting them go, but the early returns are fairly damning.

That’s not enough to say that John DeFilippo is underperforming as an offensive coordinator – all sorts of things can explain the difference between offensive performance and this particular measure of offensive talent: bad luck, poor grading, a tough schedule and so on. But with the calls for DeFilippo’s improvement – perhaps even removal – making their rounds in fan forums and on Twitter, it’s enough to investigate the issue further.

There has been some talk about incorporating the running game more, and it’s clear that the Vikings don’t run the ball much. Some of that may have to do with situation – down three scores to New Orleans and four scores to Buffalo, it’s difficult to justify running the ball when the objective isn’t just to score, but score quickly.

To adjust for that, one can account for something called “game script,” which takes the average score of the game – the total score at every second of the game, divided by the number of seconds in the game.

It tracks well with run/pass ratio, with negative game scripts leading to more passes and positive game scripts leading to more runs. That makes sense, as teams need to pass to catch up while they run to drain the clock.

But the Vikings only have a slightly negative game script despite their games against the Rams, Saints and Bills – not to mention the comeback win against Green Bay in Week 2. One can project what an average offensive coordinator would do given the game script, and even after adjusting for game situation, the Vikings have the second-most aggressive tendency to pass, just behind the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Zimmer was vocal in saying he wanted the Vikings to run the ball more in the aftermath of the Patriots game, a contest in which Dalvin Cook ran the ball nine times for 84 yards, or 9.33 yards per carry. “Same thing I have been saying all year,” Zimmer said after the game when asked about running the ball more often.

On the other hand, it’s not clear that running the ball is generally a net positive idea. All things being equal, running more often doesn’t generally lead to better performance offensively, with little evidence suggesting that it leads to long-term effects or has, in the abstract, a strong enough game theory effect to materially impact the passing game when abandoned. The most intuitive argument – that it helps with play-action passing – isn’t supported by the data.

Even in this last matchup against the Patriots, it’s not necessarily the case that running the ball would have been better. With the Vikings rushing the ball with the success they’ve had – generating 9.57 yards per carry in the first half, and 5.83 yards per carry without the long 32-yard gain – one could say that Sunday’s game was an exception to the generally held principle that rushing isn’t efficient.

But in similar games for other offenses this year – where the offense averaged over seven yards a carry in the first half and over five yards a carry early on when excluding their longest gain – the offense couldn’t maintain its pace. In those 23 games, they averaged 4.25 yards per carry in the second half – which is the league average. After excluding the longest second-half run from those totals, they average 3.37 yards per carry, which is only slightly better than the league average of 3.26 yards per carry (after excluding, once again, the longest run).

Which is to say that the evidence we have suggests that first-half rushing success is rarely followed by second-half rushing success. Only nine of those 23 other teams with great first-half rushing had a second half with over 4.5 yards per carry, which is an identical proportion (39 percent) to teams that ran for over 4.5 yards a carry without great first-half rushing.

It’s not as if that’s the result of running the ball to drain the clock either; the effect held true even when only looking at third quarter rushing or excluding teams with very positive game scripts.

Naturally, if the Vikings knew beforehand that they would be awful passing the ball in the second half, throwing 3.7 yards per attempt and with two interceptions, they might have been inclined to run the ball, but their minimal rushing attempts in the second half, which amounted to 2.0 yards per carry, saw similarly poor offensive production.

Not only that, part of Zimmer’s critique centers around playcalling on one drive that lasted three plays, one of which was a run. Zimmer mentioned that the Vikings may have “panicked” down 17-10, but the playcalling didn’t appear to show signs of panic. On first down, the Vikings called for a deep shot to Aldrick Robinson – a historically successful play – that fell incomplete because of a miscommunication or an overthrow. But the call was fine – both Diggs and Robinson break free deep against Cover-1 man.

The second play was a five-yard run to Murray and the third play, 3rd and 5, was a dropback that resulted in a sack. In the past two seasons, coordinators have called for a pass 94 percent (including sacks and scrambles) of the time on 3rd and 5 and have converted only 42.2 percent of their designed runs, compared to 45.1 percent on passes. That’s not a stark difference, but it certainly isn’t obvious that the Vikings should have run the ball there, nor is it clear that the playcalling was poor on that drive.

This is the only drive that could really have been subject to that criticism because the Patriots scored on the subsequent drive, meaning the Vikings were down two scores with 10:49 on the clock. They still ran the ball twice on the subsequent drive but couldn’t convert on fourth down; their following drive took place with 5:45 left on the clock, still down two touchdowns – it makes a good deal of sense that they didn’t run the ball.

Given the historical performance of the run game, it would be reasonable to expect sharp regression in the second half despite the success they had in the first half.

There are other canards to address for DeFilippo, but it’s difficult to get a sense of which ones are genuine problems and which ones are just a means of venting frustration. For example, Zimmer praised Bears head coach Matt Nagy for his expansive playbook, arguing that the Bears had “800 plays” ready to go at a moment’s notice but less than a week later complained about the high volume of plays in the Vikings playbook.

Maybe the Vikings design a poor playbook for third and long, where too often passes fall short of the sticks. But the Vikings actually rank ninth in the NFL in conversion rate on third-and-long (with seven to 12 yards to go) and at 35.3 percent beat the NFL average of 31.2 percent by a decent margin. That outpaces league-leading scorers Kansas City, perennial powerhouse New England and every other team in the NFC North.

It’s not as if there are a high rate of completed passes that have failed to convert in those situations, either. On plays where the offense completed a pass on third and long, the Vikings converted 70.8 percent of the time, once again ranking ninth in the NFL and better than the league average of 64.8 percent as well as the Rams, Patriots and the Saints.

In this game, the Vikings had two completions fail to convert on third or fourth and long. The first was a bubble screen that likely wasn’t in the original playcall – the Patriots show another one of their amoeba defense looks and Cousins looks to audible the play, probably correctly given the leverage, to a screen.

The other one was to Treadwell on a slant on 4th and long on a play where DeFilippo did indeed call for longer routes that developed downfield. Cousins throws the slant in part because of the pressure bearing down on him – and it’s generally good when an offense gives the quarterback time to get rid of the ball quickly in those situations – and in part because the leverage on the play favored the slant.

Regardless, the Vikings are generally good on third and long, and don’t seem to have a tendency to fail on their completed passes in those situations. Even the examples some use after the game to criticize DeFilippo don’t quite hold up.

There may be something to be said about going into no-huddle more often, however.

The Vikings success rate in no-huddle is 67 percent, significantly better than their offensive success rate otherwise, a paltry 45 percent. That difference of 22 percent is the second-largest in the league after the New Orleans Saints.

One does need to control for two-minute drills, however, when the offense is much more likely to move the ball down the field and enter into a no-huddle tempo. When excluding that, the Vikings no-huddle success rate difference jumps to first, with a 24 percent increase in success rate.

Though the Vikings are an extreme, however, their success rate increase is not unique. Twenty-six teams see their success rate jump up in no-huddle scenarios, a number that only drops to 20 when excluding the two-minute drill.

Despite that, the NFL only operates in no-huddle 7.5 percent of the time. Only two teams – the Dolphins and the Rams – run no-huddle more than 15 percent of the time while four teams run no-huddle less than three percent of the time.

There are problems running the no-huddle more often. As NFL defenses increase in complexity and implement more disguised looks, it’s critical that teams have a similarly flexible offensive playbook to respond. They very often need to communicate complex concepts in the huddle, in playcalls that often are detailed enough to tell every player on the offense what their specific job is and how their job changes in response to what they see.

That playcalling system is modular, which means that one can substitute one word or phrase in the play and change someone’s job – that can be useful if the defense has been cheating all game and there’s a way to take advantage of it.

Not only that, teams sometimes call two plays in the huddle and kill one of those plays based on the look they see, giving them additional flexibility as they approach the line of scrimmage.

No-huddle offenses rely on one-word playcalls given to players further away from the quarterback, which makes plays static and difficult to communicate. Not only that, modular playcalls give the offense the ability to access a larger playbook with less to memorize. If there are nine routes and three eligible receivers, there are 729 permutations of plays one can call, but the receivers only have to memorize the names (or numbers) of the nine routes to be able to execute them. It’s not feasible to have 729 names for those plays.

Given that there are more than three receivers, more than nine routes and more things to designate in a play – like protection, motion, the play-action look and so on, it makes a lot of sense that no-huddle usage is limited and the no-huddle playbook is small.

Add in that the Vikings already seem to have communication problems – there are seemingly at least two plays every game where the intended receiver and the quarterback are not on the same page – and it may make sense that Minnesota tries to limit the instances of miscommunication by allowing the quarterback to clearly enunciate an unambiguous play in close quarters rather than yelling a single word out in a loud environment to a receiver 20 yards to his left.

Many offenses only have a handful of no-huddle plays in their playbook for this reason, and typically reserve their usage of them to critical situations, like the two-minute drill – deploying those plays earlier may result in the defense becoming familiar with those looks and shutting them down in a high-leverage situation.

There is one anomaly – the 2017 Detroit Lions used no-huddle on 34 percent of their snaps excluding the two-minute drill. That only increased their success rate by two percentage points and it may be notable that the Lions reverted to a high but more typical 12.2 percent in 2018, perhaps a result of not playing behind in close games not nearly as often as in the previous two years, something that can impact no- huddle usage even when excluding the two-minute drill.

With all of that said, the Vikings run no-huddle less often than most other teams and have the most to gain from it, which tells us that though they don’t have much room to expand their no-huddle usage with their communication difficulties in mind, they should probably do it more often.

That will really only impact four to five percent of plays, though, and it’s unlikely that this will result in a massive increase in productivity.

There’s other legitimate criticisms of DeFilippo, like the fact that there’s good evidence the Vikings should call play-action more often – the Vikings gain 2.2 yards per attempt on play-action passes, but only rank 27th in play-action frequency – but run frequency, no-huddle and generalized playcalling don’t seem to be the thrust of the problem.

There does need to be a discussion regarding the constant miscommunication on offense, the struggles in hurry-up and the general gap between offensive talent and offensive performance, but it’s unclear how much of that is on the offensive coordinator and how much might be on the quarterback or other factors. The death of offensive line coach Tony Sparano might play a role in the poor offensive line performance, while a bad bounce of the ball may contribute to their turnover rate – the Vikings have the third-lowest fumble recovery rate in the NFL.

It certainly is too soon to be calling for DeFilippo’s head. A few of the top five offenses in points per drive – the Saints, Chiefs, Rams, Chargers and Falcons – feature playcallers who have had rough starts. Andy Reid’s first experience calling plays resulted in an offense ranked 25th in points while Sean McVay’s first year in Washington showcased an offense ranked 26th in points. Steve Sarkisian had the unenviable task of following up Shanahan – who himself did poorly at first – and took an offense that ranked first in points in 2016 to 15th overall in 2017.

Ken Whisenhunt and Sean Payton did relatively well in their first showings, ranking 11th and 15th respectively, but Whisenhunt, in particular, has had a rocky career, spearheading offenses that have ranked 24th or worse in points five times in the last 10 years.

Some of the NFL’s current offensive darlings, like Shanahan, Frank Reich, Doug Pederson and Todd Monken, all had difficulties at first – ranking 27th, 17th, 16th and 23rd in points scored in their first playcalling opportunities and hitting lows ranked in the 20s in their careers.

Shanahan may be a model for what could happen if the Vikings are patient. A young offensive mind heralded for what he did in a non-playcalling role in his previous stint, Shanahan arrived in an offense seemingly ready to break out.

Miscommunication plagued the team, and the general lack of coherence, along with a poor run game despite talented running backs, led a few people to question Shanahan’s long-term prospects with the Falcons, with fans split on the issue. After Matt Ryan had his worst year in quite some time in 2015, he won MVP honors under Shanahan the next.

There are clearly issues when it comes to offensive coaching and the Vikings, but those issues aren’t as easy to identify as they may seem at first glance, and they certainly aren’t reasons to shelf their current coordinator. The Vikings will need to be aggressive in resolving their offensive issues, but be patient with their offensive coordinator.