
Matt Ryan missed some throws. A couple passes went through hands of his receivers. The Falcons offense was penalized five times in the first half alone. Atlanta wasn't firing on all cylinders Sunday, which keeps happening for dynamic offenses against the Vikings defense.
Two other reasons weren't always visible on the broadcast in safeties Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo.
"Both of them played very well," head coach Mike Zimmer said. "Harrison made some outstanding plays. Sendejo as well. The back end played really well yesterday. I think that was a credit to them. I thought Trae Waynes played real good, obviously Xavier [Rhodes] played well. They understood the plan that we had to try to do."
Throwing Rhodes on Julio Jones was the obvious part of the Vikings' plan. Jones' two catches for 24 yards was the quietest day in his last 24 regular season games. There are some factors easily overlooked. His dropped slant pass on the first play of the game illustrated two: the Falcons' inopportune sloppiness and Atlanta's plan to not often test their protection against the Vikings' pass rush.
But whenever Jones took off on a vertical route, Rhodes had help over the top from either Smith or Sendejo. Both safeties were strong in coverage during Sunday's 14-9 win in Atlanta. The duo also caused havoc at the line of scrimmage, drawing three Falcons penalties for illegal blocks in the back while charging in for run stops.
Let's take a look at how both Vikings safeties helped ground a dynamic Falcons offense. Here to help is Dan Hatman, a former NFL scout and Director of Scouting Development at The Scouting Academy. Follow him on Twitter @Dan_Hatman.
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Jones received attention from more than just Rhodes, though the Vikings' top cornerback was the man following the All-Pro receiver throughout the game and both inside and outside the Falcons formations. Ryan didn't try many deep shots at all, whether by design against the pass rush or by product of the coverage. Two of Ryan's deep throws came when he saw Harrison Smith blitzing, including the one below.