Expect More of a Rushing Attack from the 2023 Vikings Offense
Josh Frey
|
This offseason, there has been a good amount of uncertainty surrounding who could actually fill out the Minnesota Vikings backfield in 2023. Dalvin Cook’s status is up in the air, but recent events may lead him back to Minnesota. Alexander Mattison got a new contract, and Ty Chandler looks poised to take on a bigger role this season.
Regardless, it seems safe to say that we can expect the rushing attack to be a much bigger part of the Vikings offense this season than it was in 2022. When speaking to Vikings.com, Mattison explained that it was a much bigger emphasis for the team already.
“We all knew the run game was an area of improvement we needed, so coming into this year, there’s more emphasis. Being in Year 1 in this offense, it was something that throughout the process is learning new things, so that’s a year of foundation that we have, can look back on that at what we need to correct and do well, what we don’t do as well and improve. It’s definitely been a little more emphasis.”
Last year, Minnesota’s passing game thrived, and it was Kirk Cousins who benefited the most in Kevin O’Connell’s offense, arguably putting together one of the best seasons of his career in terms of production as well as timely clutch play.
However, this led to a bit of a one-dimensional attack. While the Vikings ranked among the top five of all NFL teams in terms of passing attempts and passing yards last season, they had the fifth-fewest rushing attempts and the sixth-fewest rushing yards.
Especially down the stretch of the season, this made them a bit more predictable as an offense, and Minnesota has been making clear attempts to right those wrongs in 2023. They signed tight end Josh Oliver, one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, and they maintained Garrett Bradbury at center who, despite some struggles in pass protection through his career, has been a very proficient run blocker.
Despite a lack of a consistent rushing attack in 2022, the Vikings still ranked among the top-10 offenses in terms of scoring last year. Hopefully, a more balanced gameplan this year can help them maintain that standing, if not even move them a bit higher.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.