Vikings' McKinnon runs on the cutting edge

He's no Adrian Peterson. But Vikings rookie running back Jerick McKinnon does appear to possess at least one elite skill that certainly jumped off the screen during an 8-yard run early in the third quarter of Sunday's 19-13 overtime victory at Tampa Bay.

The Vikings were leading 3-0 and had just taken possession at their 37-yard line. Their mindset at that particular moment was as run-based as if No. 28 were still on the field.

"It was time for us to go in and knock the other team around a little bit," fullback Jerome Felton said.

Lined up deep in a power-I formation, McKinnon's target point was off the inside hip of left tackle Matt Kalil. Tight end Chase Ford was motioned right to left to provide extra muscle at the point of attack.

McKinnon got the handoff and headed for the line of scrimmage, but he never got to the target. Instead, he jabbed his left foot hard into the ground 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

"The play is designed to hit the front side," McKinnon said. "But if you get the defense overflowing, I got the freedom to cut back. You don't do it intentionally. It's one of those things you have to see and feel."

McKinnon is 5-9 and 208 pounds. He's fast and more powerful than he looks. And that sharp cut of his is the kind that attracts NFL scouts whether it belongs to the Heisman Trophy-winning tailback at Southern Cal or the triple-option quarterback at Georgia Southern, which McKinnon was before the Vikings selected him in the third round of the draft.

"Phil and [left guard] Joe [Berger] were blocking down because we knew Tampa Bay was a team that overflowed to the ball," McKinnon said. "We kind of set that play up a little before and came back to it. I knew it would work because of how the defense played."

Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner called McKinnon's number again on the next play. Again, the play was designed to go left, but McKinnon stomped his left foot 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage and went off right guard for 6 more yards.

"I worked with a guy [John Robinson] a long time ago that coached a couple Heisman Trophy winners at USC," Turner said. "[He'd say] you get the runner to a point and then [tell him], 'Be a good runner.' Jerick has very good run instincts."

After McKinnon's 6-yard run, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was given a pass play. But he saw a look that matched a particular run key, so he audibled and McKinnon went for a 28-yard gain off the right side, which was flanked by two tight ends.

Nine yards downfield, McKinnon made an unexpected cut. Playing off receiver Greg Jennings' block, he surprised cornerback Alterraun Verner, who was looking for an outside cut to a bigger hole. Instead, McKinnon cut inside to a sliver of a hole.

At 19 yards downfield, defenders converged on McKinnon. He wrapped both arms around the ball, lowered his pad level and broke through safety Mark Barron, the seventh overall draft pick in 2012, for another 10 yards to the Tampa Bay 21.

"One of the big things with him for me is his physicality," coach Mike Zimmer said. "There were a couple of times where he made holes himself."

Three plays after the 28-yarder, Bridgewater placed a perfectly thrown ball over two defenders into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown to Jennings. The veteran receiver made sure after the game to point out the impact that McKinnon's running had on how the defense reacted on the touchdown pass.

"That," Jennings said, "is what offensive execution looks like."