The Vikings’ Offense Unlocked Something Against Green Bay

Sam Darnold had 377 passing yards on Sunday. That’s more than the 347 he had in the Minnesota Vikings’ 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons and the 330 he had after orchestrating a game-winning overtime drive in Chicago.

He has 13 games with over a 100 passer rating this year. Only five quarterbacks have done that in NFL history.

Darnold’s teammates celebrated him on Sunday. They would have been excited about his performance no matter what. Still, he got almost everyone involved, distributing those 347 yards pretty evenly:

• Justin Jefferson: 8 receptions, 92 yards
• Jalen Nailor: 5 receptions, 81 yards
• Jordan Addison: 6 receptions, 69 yards
• T.J. Hockenson: 5 receptions, 68 yards

“It was lovely to see our room really blossom,” said Jefferson. “If they want to double me, if they want to give extra attention towards me, then we have plenty of guys in our room to make something happen to win those one-on-one battles.”

Aaron Jones had 47 yards on 12 carries and 30 yards receiving before leaving in the fourth quarter with a quad contusion. Cam Akers also chipped in 18 yards on the ground and 15 through the air, including the game-sealing catch.

It was Minnesota’s most egalitarian offensive effort. The Green Bay Packers were missing Jaire Alexander, Quay Walker, and safety Evan Williams. Still, Darnold’s passing hasn’t been this evenly distributed all year, despite his efforts to get everyone involved.

“Sam spreads the ball out,” said Hockenson. “Wherever the coverage is providing open guys, that’s where he’s gonna go.”

His next-highest yardage totals were his breakout game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Week 11 game in Chicago, and that weird Indianapolis Colts game.

Week 14 vs. Atlanta (5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 347 yards):

• Addison: 8 receptions, 133 yards
• Jefferson: 7 receptions, 132 yards
• Hockenson: 4 receptions, 45 yards

Nailor didn’t have any receptions, but Josh Oliver had one for 26 yards. Darnold beat old friend Kirk Cousins, who threw for 344 yards but had two picks. It was Addison’s best game since the Chicago Bears game at Soldier Field. Still, Hockenson wasn’t very involved, and the Falcons held Nailor off the board.

Week 11 vs. Chicago (2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 330 yards):

• Addison: 8 receptions, 162 yards
• Hockenson: 7 receptions, 114 yards
• Jefferson: 2 receptions, 27 yards
• Nailor: 1 reception, 5 yards

Former Bears coach Matt Eberflus focused on taking Jefferson out, which upset Jefferson but cost Chicago the game. Jones had 106 yards on 22 carries, highlighting that the Vikings can beat teams that try to snuff out Jefferson with their other weapons.

However, Nailor only had one catch, and it was an outlier game for Hockenson, who wasn’t as involved in the offense as he usually is until last week. Hockenson had 72 yards on eight catches in Jacksonville but otherwise had been a tertiary option since returning from injury.

Week 9 vs. Indianapolis (3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 290 yards):

• Jefferson: 7 receptions, 137 yards
• Addison: 5 receptions, 42 yards
• Hockenson: 3 receptions, 37 yards
• Nailor: 1 reception, 7 yards

Oliver had five receptions for 58 yards, pacing everyone but Jefferson in receiving yards. He had four catches for 52 yards in Jacksonville a week later and 60 yards receiving in the next two weeks. Given his production and Nailor’s relative lack of it, the Vikings arguably should have been operating out of 12 personnel with Hockenson and Nailor on the field for most plays.

However, Oliver suffered a wrist injury that kept him out of the games against Chicago and the Arizona Cardinals in Weeks 12 and 13. He had one catch for 26 yards against Atlanta. But Darnold has only targeted him once since then, and he has no catches in Minnesota’s last three games.

Darnold has only three 300-yard passing games, even though he thrives on explosive plays and has maintained a 100-plus passer rating for 13 games, putting him in elite company. Kevin O'Connell has maximized Darnold’s pocket presence, arm strength, and accuracy to get chunk yardage, sometimes at the expense of long drives. However, it’s created a productive season for Darnold.

Still, it’s curious that Darnold’s third-most productive game in terms of yardage was against Indianapolis. That was the first game Darnold struggled in before he bottomed out in Jacksonville. Darnold threw three picks to the Jaguars, who had two picks all year before that game. However, he recovered and has been a top-five quarterback since.

Raw yardage isn’t the only way to measure a quarterback’s play. Quarterback rating is also flawed. Still, a lousy quarterback doesn’t have 13 games with a 100-plus rating. Atlanta was Darnold’s best game by quarterback rating (157.9). However, the Los Angeles Rams game (128.7) and the Packers game at Lambeau (123.4) were second and third.

Week 8 vs. Rams (2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 240 yards):

• Jefferson: 8 receptions, 115 yards
• Addison: 2 receptions, 22 yards
• Nailor: 2 receptions: 16 yards

Hockenson didn’t play in LA because he was still recovering from his ACL injury. However, he may have been active if it wasn’t a Thursday night game. Still, it’s curious that Darnold produced his second-highest quarterback rating in Minnesota’s 30-20 loss to the Rams.

Jefferson had a highlight-reel one-handed catch and drove the offense. Jones (two receptions, 37 yards) and Oliver (two catches, 30 yards) were more productive than Addison and Nailor. Darnold took care of the ball, but Los Angeles held him to 240 yards passing and 20 points. The Rams game may highlight the flaws in quarterback rating more than anything else.

Week 4 vs. Green Bay (3 touchdowns, 1 interception, 275 yards):

• Jefferson: 6 receptions, 85 yards
• Addison: 3 receptions, 72 yards
• Nailor: 1 reception, 31 yards

Hockenson was out for this game, and Jones (four receptions, 46 yards) outproduced Mundt (two receptions, 15 yards) and Oliver (two receptions, 10 yards). Still, Darnold spread the ball around more, leading to 28 points in the first half. The 31-29 final score skews how lopsided the game was and, therefore, shades Darnold’s efforts.

Injuries have depleted Detroit’s defense, so the Vikings have an opportunity for a productive offensive day at Ford Field. Still, how they generate offense matters because anyone they face in the playoffs will have a plan to slow down Jefferson. The best way to counter that is to involve Addison, Hockenson, and Jones.

Despite their talent on offense, Minnesota’s defense has carried it for most of the season. However, the Vikings created a blueprint to win in the playoffs. They must use all their weapons to beat the NFC’s best teams. Doing so will allow them to rest their defense and come back if they get down early.