What did Pro Football Focus think of how the Vikings performed on Thursday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium? Here’s a look at the player grades from the Vikings’ 23-10 win over the Detroit Lions:
Top 3 on offense (minimum 20 snaps)
Blake Brandel … 68.0
Jordan Addison … 67.6
Justin Jefferson … 65.0
Analysis: It’s honestly surprising that any of the grades were even this high with how much the Vikings failed to move the ball on offense. The pass blocking of Brandel was deemed to be a bright spot, as was the splash play from Addison, who took a jet sweep 65 yards to the house. The consistency of Jefferson was also on display despite the fact that he didn’t get many opportunities.
Bottom 3 on offense (minimum 20 snaps)
Max Brosmer … 38.3
Will Fries … 45.3
Josh Oliver … 50.5
Analysis: It looked like Brosmer might finish the game with negative net passing yards until a late completion that helped the Vikings put the game away for good. He completed 9 of 16 passes for 51 yards while taking sacks that amounted to a loss of 48 yards. The grade that Brosmer received reflected his struggles. As for Fries, he once again was leaky in pass protection, which brought his grade down near the bottom of the list.
Top 3 on defense (minimum 20 snaps)
Dallas Turner … 83.6
Blake Cashman … 81.2
Harrison Smith … 79.7
Analysis: The story of the game was how Smith turned back the clock with a vintage performance that paced the Vikings to a win. He was actually outperformed by Turner and Cashman, however, when it came to the grade he received. That’s because Turner was a beast rushing the passer and Cashman was a tackling machine that couldn’t be stopped. That said, Smith still ended up near the top of the list, which was very much deserved given the impact he made on the game.
Bottom 3 on defense (minimum 20 snaps)
Levi Drake Rodriguez … 50.4
Eric Wilson … 55.2
Fabian Moreau … 62.2
Analysis: There wasn’t much to critique with how well the Vikings played on defense. There were a few missed tackles from Rodriguez and Wilson that group their grades down. As for Moreau, he only played in spot minutes, so his lone mistake was heavily weighted against him.
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