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The Often Overbearing, But Otherwise Ordinary Offensive Line


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Each week, NFL.com analyst Shaun O’Hara puts together a list of the top five offensive line performances, and this week he included the Vikings in his lineup at No. 3. O’Hara wrote:

Minnesota showed off some quality depth in Sunday's 24-16 win over Baltimore. The Vikings lost left tackle Riley Reiff and left guard Jeremiah Sirles to injuries during the game, but second-year man Rashod Hill and rookie Danny Isidora did a fine job in relief. Minnesota was able to rack up 357 yards of offense, including 169 yards on the ground. Pretty remarkable, considering the Vikings lost rookie sensation Dalvin Cook just a few weeks ago. Free-agent acquisition Latavius Murray enjoyed a breakthrough performance with the Vikings, exploding for 113 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. And while Baltimore may be struggling of late on defense, it's pretty extraordinary that this reshuffled O-line didn't allow a single sack or QB hit all game.

O’Hara ranked the Cowboys offensive line at No. 1 after Dallas defeated San Francisco 40-10 and racked up 501 yards of total offense. The Steelers were second, and coming in at fourth on O’Hara’s list were the Rams. He called the No. 5 spot a tie between the Bills and the Jaguars. 

http://www.vikings.com/news/lunch-break/article-1/Lunchbreak-Vikings-O-Line-In-NFLcoms-Top-5-For-the-Week-/db440e2f-fae8-4af7-897e-6be6eb6a8aab?sf125270310=1

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The Vikings scored 33 points, racked up 26 1st downs and scored on half of their possessions. A big reason for this productivity and efficiency was the teamwork of quarterback Case Keenum and his offensive line. Keenum was sacked just one time as the offensive line continued to demonstrate its improvement this season in pass protection, and aside from the interception on the first series of the game the Vikings took care of the ball along the way to scoring seven times. The Vikings didn’t have a drive of fewer than six plays until their four-play field goal drive in the 3rd quarter, which was a big reason why the Vikings were able to hold such a big advantage in time of possession and control much of the second half.

http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/8-Takeaways-From-the-Vikings-Win-Over-Cleveland/d1447906-3c91-4b2e-a970-aac755a6a35a?sf128755014=1

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OL is much improved. Certainly because of the players. But let's not forget the change at OC. I think Shurmur really likes to draw up plays for the players. He knows the strengths of his guys - that includes the OL players.

He even introduced up-tempo into our offense. When was the last time we had that? I mean, seriously, this offense is, from a scheme point, the best offense we had since the Green days.

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For rookie guard Danny Isidora, he not only received the first start of his career filling in for Nick Easton and Jeremiah Sirles, but Isidora nearly tripled his previous high for playing time. In Week 7, Isidora was called into action and got 29 snaps. On Sunday, he played in all 85 offensive plays. Although Rashod Hill didn’t start, he came on in relief for Mike Remmers, who suffered a concussion and was pulled after six snaps, and Hill end up with a season-high 79 snaps.

https://scout.com/nfl/vikings/Article/Counting-snaps-Season-high-for-Minnesota-Vikings-offense-109738124

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1 hour ago, swiss_vike said:

OL is much improved. Certainly because of the players. But let's not forget the change at OC. I think Shurmur really likes to draw up plays for the players. He knows the strengths of his guys - that includes the OL players.

He even introduced up-tempo into our offense. When was the last time we had that? I mean, seriously, this offense is, from a scheme point, the best offense we had since the Green days.

I would add Keenum's mobility as well.  He has made a number of plays each game to move away from pressure or scramble to extend plays that would be sacks, throw aways, or check downs for Bradford.

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Minnesota saw big payouts after rebuilding its offensive line through free agency and the 2017 draft. The offense’s success is a direct correlation to this unit, which featured new starters at every position, including a rookie at center. A year ago, the Vikings struggled to run the ball more than 75 yards per game.

Case Keenum’s mobility is one of his most underappreciated skills, but he has been pressured on only 28 percent of his dropbacks, according to ESPN Stats & Info, thanks in part to an O-line that has allowed him to be one of the least-sacked quarterbacks in the league.

Minnesota’s offensive line has allowed just 10 sacks, which is the second-fewest in the NFL.

http://www.vikings.com/news/lunch-break/article-1/Lunchbreak-How-the-Vikings-Defense-Could-Improve-on-Already-Strong-Numbers/5ba4d2dc-5e88-412d-938c-4bae904b90a3?sf151884123=1

Edited by vike daddy
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2 minutes ago, vike daddy said:

Weren't 5 of those in the first half at Soldier Field?

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1 hour ago, vike daddy said:

Vikings QB Case Keenum has been sacked just five times this season, fewest in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 100 passes.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/category/rumor-mill/

AND has not fumbled.  It's much easier to win when you have a back-up QB who doesn't turn the ball over very often.  Only 3 picks on the year for Case, correct?

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I think he's done a great job so far, especially since he is the third best QB on the roster; however, I share the concerns of others that he could be directing more TD drives and he seems to miss open receivers.  But, he has been sustaining drives, shows excellent mobility, and is taking care of the ball.  Overall, a solid B+ in my book.

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