Offensive struggles vs. zero blitzes
Nobody in the NFL blitzes more than Brian Flores and the Vikings, and that was again the case on Sunday night against the Cowboys. Minnesota blitzed on 46.3% of their plays, and it was getting home on Dak Prescott, causing Dallas’ offense to struggle. From not adjusting at the line of scrimmage to not being able to have quick routes available on blitz plays, the Cowboys had little answers for the looks that the Vikings presented, and gave the opposing defense their flowers.
On this play, the Vikings defense is in what Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer called “all up,” which is essentially Cover 0. That means most, if not all of the players lined up at the line of scrimmage (seven in this case) will likely go after the cornerback, leaving the rest of the field in one-on-one man coverage between the receivers and defensive backs.
How do you diagnose who is and isn’t coming at you on a blitz in these looks? Pre-snap motion and the offense’s cadence, essentially trying to get defenders to move ahead of the snap and show where they’re going. There was no motion on this play, and it’s just a quick three step drop for Dak Prescott and a curl route from CeeDee Lamb to get some quick, easy yards. What ruins all of that is Harrison Smith coming unblocked on a blitz, and he gets a hand on the football here to cause the throw to be just off target, and it’s incomplete.
Run game looked better
One bright spot for Dallas on Sunday night was their run game finding some more efficiency, as Javonte Williams finished with 91 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. His 6.1 yards per carry marked the fourth time this season that he’s rushed for more than six yards per carry in a game this season.
As has been the case all year when the run game is clicking, the interior of the offensive line was doing work for the Cowboys. After spending some time on the sidelines with a shoulder stinger in the first half, Williams returned to the field to begin the second half and started things off with an explosive 15-yard carry on the first play of the half.
On this play, the offensive line slides right, and Williams runs right, two things that have been strongsuits this season. Both guards and tackles are working in tandem to handle their assignments, leaving Cooper Beebe one-on-one in the middle where he won his battle and turned the defender to the outside, giving Javonte Williams a lane behind him. That leaves Tyler Smith as his lead blocker, and he’s worked his way up to the second level to put his hands on the linebacker and there’s nobody else at the second level for Minnesota, leading to a big gain for Dallas.