How the Vikings’ OL Has Fared thru 2 Weeks

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Coming into the season, my concerns were that the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive line was a bit like an armadillo — tough on the outside, soft in the middle. So far this season, the evidence points to that being somewhat true, but there is some hope for improvement on the interior if we look at how the Vikings’ offensive line has fared through two weeks.

How the Vikings’ OL Has Fared thru 2 Weeks

The first caveat is that Minnesota has had some tough matchups with defensive fronts to start the season. It’s not about to get any easier with the Houston Texans this weekend and Green Bay and Detroit around the corner. The Vikings OL has held up well enough so far to allow Sam Darnold and the Vikings playmakers to score enough points to win both games — on the back of two excellent performances from the defense.

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In Pro Football Focus’ latest OL rankings, the Vikings moved up five places to sixteenth — exactly in the middle of the pack. The individual PFF grades (set out as overall / pass blocking / run blocking ) for the five starting linemen are as follows;

LT Christian Darrisaw – 83.2 / 69.1 / 87.8

LG Blake Brandel – 78.2 / 55.4 / 90.2

C Garrett Bradbury – 65.3 / 51.9 / 67.7

RG Ed Ingram – 50.1 / 25.3 / 58.0

RT Brian O’Neill – 80.5 / 75.6 / 80.2

Ingram’s low scores stick out like sore thumbs, not helped by his shocking 9.3 pass-blocking grade in Week 1. Bradbury also had a rough Week 1 and followed it with an 84.4 grade in Week 2. The Vikings coaching staff’s faith in Brandel looks wise, as he has been a good addition to the interior — particularly in run-blocking. 

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The Vikings’ offense has featured an improved rushing attack in the first two games, with Aaron Jones doing the damage in Week 1 and Ty Chandler in Week 2. Those run-blocking grades show a rushing attack working in unison to create a balanced offense, something extra important right now with injuries to the Vikings’ premier pass catchers mounting up.

Middle Of the Pack

Minnesota has two of the best tackles in the game. Through two weeks, PFF ranks Darrissw as the sixth-best tackle in the league and O’Neill as the ninth. Darrisaw could and indeed should be aiming even higher. Brandel is a pleasant surprise, coming in at ninth in the guard rankings, while Ingram is unfortunately less of a surprise, coming in at 61 (out of 65). Bradbury is a respectable thirteenth in the center rankings. That leaves the Vikings in the middle of the pack, which is what PFF had to say about their position.

The Vikings’ offensive line effectively protected quarterback Sam Darnold in Week 2, especially considering they played against a daunting San Francisco pass rush. The unit allowed just six pressures on 31 dropbacks and ranked eighth in pass-blocking efficiency score.

Center Garrett Bradbury earned both the highest pass-blocking and run-blocking grades on the Vikings’ offensive line in Week 2. His 84.5 PFF overall grade placed him third among all centers in the NFL in Week 2.

Best player: Christian Darrisaw

Darrisaw was not only excellent in pass protection, but he also stood out in run blocking. His 83.7 {FF run-blocking grade against the 49ers ranked second among all left tackles in Week 2.

Can the Vikings OL improve on their middling position? That largely depends on the right guard position. Can Ingram improve, or will Dalton Risner come in when he’s healthy and make a difference? Some can’t wait for Risner to return and assume he will slot straight in. Maybe he does, but the earliest that can feasibly happen is Week 5, when he is eligible to return from IR, and that’s if he has recovered from his back injury. There has been no recent news on his rehab.

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Ingram can prove he should keep his place over the next two games, starting with the Texans on Sunday.