Vikings vs Cardinals PFF grades come in looking great
The Minnesota Vikings are one of two teams in the National Football League that are 6-1 and the other is their opponent in two weeks the Buffalo Bills.
They did so against the Arizona Cardinals, dropping them to 3-5 on the season with a 34-26 lead.
The PFF grades are in from the Vikings’ win on Sunday and they are reflective of their excellent performance.
List
Studs and Duds from Week 8 vs Cardinals
Top 3 offense
Sep 25, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison (2) reacts center Garrett Bradbury (56) and offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw (71) after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
LT Christian Darrisaw 91.7
RB Alexander Mattison 81.6
LG Ezra Cleveland 79.5
The Vikings offensive line was mostly good on the day, especially on the right side. Darrisaw is now PFFs third-ranked tackle. He has been tremendous for the Vikings, as has Cleveland. His performance next to Darrisaw has been tremendous this season and been one of the better draft picks of the last few drafts. Mattison was also really good taking advantage of open lanes the line was giving him.
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Bottom 3 offense
Oct 2, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn (17) carries the ball for an incomplete touchdown during the first half of the NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
RG Ed Ingram 41.7
WR K.J. Osborn 55.2
TE Johnny Mundt 59.8
Mundt and Osborn were both okay against the Cardinals so there is no issue for me with those rankings. The big issue was Ingram. Per PFF, Ingram was responsible for six pressures and two sacks. He was pulverized by J.J. Watt the entire game and probably should have been taken out. This was a Dakota Dozier game for the rookie and the Vikings found a way to win it.
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Top 3 defense
OLB Za’Darius Smith 81.6
CB Patrick Peterson 81.0
OLB Patrick Jones II 76.9
The pass rush was excellent on the day, mainly because the Cardinals focused on blocking Danielle Hunter. Smith cashed in on the Cardinals’ backup offensive line in a major way with three sacks. He now leads the league in sacks with 8.5.
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Jones was good but didn’t do anything noteworthy. Peterson was excellent on the day in coverage. He only allowed two of his five targets to be caught on the day and broke up three passes. He got real aggressive after the game wanting to talk to Steve Keim because he was run out of Arizona.
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Bottom 3 defense
Oct 30, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) returns an interception against the Arizona Cardinals during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
DE Ross Blacklock 42.1
OLB D.J. Wonnum 46.6
S Harrison Smith 54.3
The Vikings didn’t have many poor performances on defense but the biggest surprise was Smith. He had a pivotal interception on the day and only allowed three catches for 44 yards. This is one that I don’t necessarily agree with but outside of the interception, I can see somewhat of an argument.
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Other notables
Sep 11, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) sacks Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
WR Justin Jefferson 77.8
RB Dalvin Cook 70.3
QB Kirk Cousins 63.4
ILB Jordan Hicks 76.5
OLB Danielle Hunter 59.8
CB Cameron Dantzler 58.4
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