Many adjustments needed to be made for the Vikings' last-place defense entering Saturday's historic comeback against the Colts, and the changes were evident from the first snap.
Yes, the Vikings defense was more aggressive despite all those Colts points
After a rough stretch of 400-yard games, the Vikings defense heeded Kevin O'Connell's call for a more aggressive approach and allowed 22 points on their end.
December 20, 2022 at 12:50PM
Patrick Peterson, typically the left corner, flipped sides of the field with cornerback Duke Shelley, who got his second start for Minnesota, and got face to face with Colts receiver Alec Pierce — an aggressive, pressing pose not often seen from the zone-heavy scheme.
Peterson, the 32-year-old stalwart, wasn't necessarily following a specific receiver throughout the 39-36 win. He consistently played the "boundary" position, or short side of the field based on where the ball was placed on the left or right hash mark. This was one of the many changes by coordinator Ed Donatell that allowed the defense to heed head coach Kevin O'Connell's call for a more aggressive approach.
Peterson often played man-to-man coverage without safety help, a big departure from the deep zones he's played all season. Safety Harrison Smith lurked around the line of scrimmage and made plays. Safety Camryn Bynum then often inched toward Shelley's side in deep support.
Changes in coverage and a second-half flurry of blitzes against Colts quarterback Matt Ryan led to the turnaround that allowed just 22 points (a mark bloated by field goals off offensive and special teams errors) and somehow kept the deficit surmountable.
By the final whistle, the Vikings sent five or more rushers on 14 of 37 passing downs, a 38% blitz rate that's well above the season average of 16.2% as tracked by Pro Football Reference. Extra rush came on the defense's final snap in overtime: Smith blitzed on third down and edge rusher Danielle Hunter got his fourth hit on Ryan to force an incompletion.
"Bringing a couple pressures on third down," linebacker Jordan Hicks said. "Even first and second down, we were bringing some pressures. Ed did a great job calling the game."
Donatell really cranked up the heat in the second half.
The Vikings varied the four-man rushes in the first half, but they were mostly four-man rushes (15 of 17 passes). That changed when the Vikings were down 33-0 at halftime.
Facing this third-and-7 play in the second half, the Vikings show an aggressive pre-snap look that turns into an even more aggressive blitz.
The ball is on the right hash mark. Bynum (#24) aligns centerfield — toward Shelley's side on the left with Peterson on the right (boundary) side. Bynum shows a single-deep zone. Smith (#22) blitzes from his press alignment. The defense overloads the right side of the line with linebacker Brian Asamoah (#33) and Hicks (#58) blitzing. Ryan dumps the ball off to a screen, which is a great call against this blitz. But Bynum makes a huge play with an excellent tackle and third-down stop all the way from a single-high zone position.
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The Vikings defense allowed just 4.3 yards per play to the Colts, tying the season-best mark also set in the win at Washington. That's what the more talented sideline is supposed to do against inferior offenses. They did so with a game plan leaning on their stars while supporting a problem position — right cornerback — with help in coverage.
Shelley, the 26-year-old journeyman who signed with Minnesota in September, was the one getting help, but he also showed up with key plays late in the game. He read the formation and tendencies on a fourth-quarter third down — "We were getting a lot of drag stuff," Shelley said — and undercut Colts receiver Michael Pittman with a strong tackle to force a punt.
In overtime, Shelley ripped the ball out of Pittman's hands. That set up the Colts' final third down and Ryan's desperation heave while getting hit.
"The guy stepped up big," Peterson said of Shelley. "We always talk about being that next guy up, having that mentality. Being ready when your number is called. Me and Duke relied on one another all week."
"I relied on him!" Shelley yelled from a nearby locker.
"These guys keep me young ," Peterson continued. "I love coming to work each and every day. Nothing like a Sunday with the guys – or Saturday."
- One more note from watching the game back: Asamoah, the third-round linebacker, played a career-high 21 snaps as his role continues to increase. His obvious lack of size shows up in the running game when he can't weave around blockers, but his speed flashed in pursuit. He was involved on eight tackles (four solo) and has the sideline-to-sideline range to bail from blitz looks and chase running backs and tight ends in coverage. Perhaps we'll see even more moving forward.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
