The Indianapolis Colts’ secondary will have to find a way to contain the Minnesota Vikings passing game, which has been one of the more explosive units in football this season.
With Sam Darnold at quarterback, and Justin Jefferson leading the way at receiver, the Vikings rank eighth in explosive pass plays generated this season. An explosive pass is a play through the air of at least 20 yards.
Darnold’s 8.6 yards per pass attempt is the fourth-highest mark among quarterbacks, and he ranks ninth in percentage of pass attempts that travel at least 20 yards.
We all know how dangerous Jefferson is, but around him, the Vikings also have Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor, who have combined for 462 yards and four touchdowns on 42 total targets. Minnesota will also be getting tight end TJ Hockenson back this week as well.
The cornerback and safety positions were two of the biggest question marks for the Colts entering this season. However, the emergence of Sam Womack along with the continued development of Nick Cross and Jaylon Jones have certainly helped provide some stability to that unit. Not to mention that Kenny Moore continues to play at a high level.
But with that said, it’s not as if opposing offenses haven’t found some success against the Colts’ pass defense either. The 7.1 yards per pass attempt allowed through eight games is the ninth-most.
To Indianapolis’ credit, they’ve been able to eliminate big plays through the air, which in part, has been helped out by some of the quarterbacks they’ve played. But in general, opponents have still been able to put up yards on them, with the 224 passing yards per game surrendered in 2024 being the ninth-most as well. This includes a three-game stretch against Caleb Williams, Justin Fields, and Trevor Lawrence where Indianapolis gave up over 1,000 combined passing yards during that span.
Ultimately, success in the secondary for the Colts on Sunday has to begin with the defensive front being able to generate steady pressure on Darnold. With the talent that the Vikings have at the skill positions, any secondary is going to be stressed going against that unit if they have to routinely cover for 3-4 seconds.
