Vikings' Ed Ingram excelling at an ignominious stat: tripping his quarterback

Pro Football Focus has declared Vikings rookie Ed Ingram the 83rd-best guard in a league that starts only 64 of them each week. They also say no other guard has allowed more pressures (51) and sacks (nine) than Ingram has.

And if PFF had a stat for killing plays by inadvertently stepping on the quarterback's right foot as soon as the ball is snapped, well, Ingram's total of three — including one in the record-setting comeback win over the Colts last Saturday — presumably would rank at or near the top.

So, Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, can you get the big fella to lay off Kirk Cousins' feet?

"I would like to do that," he said.

According to Phillips, it's not always Ingram's fault.

"Early in the year, he was stepping a little too far," Phillips said. "Sometimes, it's the splits, and sometimes it's the quarterback's footwork as well. Those are all things we have to look at."

What say you, Ed?

"I don't even know it's happening until they tell me on the sideline," Ingram said. "What I can do is get up more on the ball, stop being back so far, be more level with the center."

Despite Ingram's struggles and lack of love from PFF, the second-round pick can counter with this stat:

He has performed well enough to have played all 967 offensive snaps for a team that last year went 8-9 without him and this year has gone 11-3 while ranking eighth in scoring en route to clinching the NFC North title.

"I don't care what outside people say," Ingram said. "I know when I need to get better and how to go about it."

Phillips said Ingram's technique, which was poor by NFL standards when the team drafted him in the second round, has improved. A good example was the way Ingram cleared Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner from the throwing window on Cousins' game-tying two-point conversion pass to T.J. Hockenson.

"I got my hands on [Buckner] and kept him from getting to my chest," Ingram said. "I've been working on my hands and punches all season. That was a good play."