The Minnesota Vikings have a glaring hole in their offense with the loss of Dalvin Cook. Cook brought stability to the Minnesota running game since being drafted in 2017. From a statistical standpoint, Cook is easily a top-five running back in team history with an argument for top-three.
However, we saw a bit of a decline in Dalvin Cook’s production last season. That lack of production, mixed with the Vikings looking toward the future, made for a perfect storm that left Cook to be the odd man out.
What are the Vikings to do after losing their bell cow back? That production gave stability to the running game for six years.
There are four reasons Vikings fans not to fret about the loss of Cook and why the Vikings’ offense will be fine going into 2023.
Mattison's success as a spot starter
Alexander Mattison was on SiriusXM NFL Radio recently discussing the opportunity in front of him in 2023.
.@Vikings RB Alexander Mattison discussed how he is approaching the 2023 season in Minnesota and what Dalvin Cook has meant to his career…#Vikings | #SKOL | @AlexMattison22 pic.twitter.com/1mHbiemasJ
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) June 22, 2023
He mentions how he is thankful for Cook and what he learned from him. But he also emphasizes it is now time for him to start “cranking that thing up and getting ready for this opportunity that I have in front of me.”
Mattison speaks with a lot of confidence about being the number-one guy in Minnesota. And for good reason. Whenever Dalvin could not play, Mattison filled the position valiantly.
In his four starts in 2021, Mattison had 86 attempts for 356 yards (almost 4.14 Y/A) and two touchdowns. He added 162 yards on 19 receptions and another touchdown through the air.
Mattison has made a name as a running back that will run through defenders to gain every yard possible. While that is a true statement, he also has vision similar to Cook’s in that he will not settle for a good play if there is a great one.
He’s also very comfortable in the passing game. Mattison is an asset in the screen game, using that vision to set up blocks and find the open space, not to mention his ability to pick up blitzes in pass-pro.
This moment is the opportunity that Mattison has been working towards. It’s finally here, and I can’t wait to see what he looks like in year two of Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
Ty Chandler's emergence
Going into his second season, Chandler is an intriguing player in the backfield.
Coming out of North Carolina, one of the more intriguing parts of Chandler’s game was his patience. He kept defensive front sevens on their toes with his change-of-pace running style. But the real magic happens after Chandler gets to the line of scrimmage.
Chandler showed exceptional balance after first contact and easy speed in the open field at North Carolina. Both of which will be important if he is going to take over as the secondary option at running back next season, as offensive coordinator Wes Phillips has suggested.
“Ty’s a guy where we’re continuing to give him opportunities both in the run game and the pass game because of some of the things he can do coming out of the backfield catching the football.”
Chandler would be a perfect change-of-pace back to complement Mattison’s more physical running style. It would keep the defense honest in the running and the passing games. Chandler’s 4.38 40-yard dash speed makes him a dangerous pass-catcher both up the sidelines and down the seams. Watch for Chandler to emerge as a viable option as the number two back in this offense.
Quick passing game
In the 2022 season, the Vikings ranked 29th in early-down efficiency when running the football. They had to find another way to stay ahead of the sticks and keep defenses honest on first and second down. So, they started to lean on the quick passing game.
The quick passing game was already a pivotal part of O’Connell’s scheme coming from the Los Angeles Rams, but there was much more of a threat for the explosive play in LA. Matthew Stafford ranked sixth in intended yards per attempt in 2021. In contrast, Cousins ranked 20th last season in that metric in O’Connell’s first season in Minnesota.
It isn’t a problem. This offense has players that can take a five-yard grab and make it a twenty-yard gain. Both Mattison and Chandler are excellent in the screen game. Jefferson and Addison will create quick separation on the outsides. Hockenson is available for throws in the hook/curl to the middle of the field. Kirk Cousins has as many weapons as he will need to keep this short-passing game humming and forcing defenses to come up to deal with them.
Jordan Addison and jet sweeps
One aspect of O’Connell’s game could be a pivotal wrinkle with rookie Jordan Addison in the offense.
Lincoln Riley enjoyed putting Addison in motion before the snap and running jet sweeps to get him open horizontally instead of vertically. It would get Addison on the move and going full speed before the defense can react. This movement makes one of Addison’s key strengths, his ability in the open field, an even deadlier threat to defenses.
Last season, O’Connell lined players up everywhere to get a favorable matchup. One that will never leave my mind is Justin Jefferson lining up in the backfield and getting flexed to the H-back position. Untraditional positioning pre-snap was a constant in this first season under O’Connell, and I don’t see it going away anytime soon.
Addison will probably be asked to attack the underneath parts of the defense. I expect him to be on the move as much as, if not more, than Jefferson.
