Ben Baldwin of The Athletic is one of the key voices of the analytics movement in the NFL. In one of his exercises, he compiled the best offensive lines when it comes to true pass sets
The Minnesota Vikings ranked sixth in the NFL in aggregate offensive line rankings while also boasting one of the higher grades coming from tackles.
Pass protection grades of offensive linemen in True Pass Sets (excludes plays with less than 4 rushers, play action, screens, short dropbacks and time-to-throws under 2 seconds) pic.twitter.com/Y3lp1dPrbm
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) November 7, 2023
True pass sets are categorized as plays with more than four rushers and cannot be play-action, screens, short dropbacks or throws under two seconds.
Going into the season, one of the main gripes with the Vikings and their offense was their pass protection. Kirk Cousins was hit the most of any quarterback last season. It was to the point that Cousins’ resilience through the constant battering was a key point in the Netflix series that he was featured in.
If the Vikings are looking to make a playoff push, whether it is with the rookie Jaren Hall or now-Minnesota legend Josh Dobbs, they will have to keep them upright in straight dropback situations.
So far, Minnesota has been doing that better than the vast majority of the league.
It is another feather in the cap of a team that is doing everything in its power to compete sooner rather than later.
