EAGAN, Minn. — It's no secret the NFL has transformed into a pass-first league.
Throughout the NFL's history, quarterbacks have eclipsed 5,000 yards passing in a single season just 15 times. Fourteen of those times have come in the past 15 years. The league recently expanded to 17 regular season games, which has helped inflate those statistics, but quarterbacks are also being asked to throw now more than ever.
Kirk Cousins is no different.
The Minnesota Vikings' quarterback has thrown 88 passes through two games, completing 64 of them for 708 yards and six touchdowns, but not all of that is by design. In both of the Vikings' losses, they were forced into passing situations while chasing their opponent in the second half.
As a result, the run game has struggled. Mightily. Through two games, Minnesota is rushing for just 34.5 yards per game at a clip of just 2.7 yards per carry.
"We can't be down 27-7," said Cousins, referring to their Week 2 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. "If we could be up 27-7, I think we'll get more from our running game."
The Vikings haven't had many opportunities to stretch their leads to double digits, and much of that is due to their minus-6 turnover margin. Minnesota has turned the ball over a league-leading seven times this season, twice in the waning moments of the opening half.
On Thursday night, star receiver Justin Jefferson caught a pass inside the 5-yard line in the final minute of the first half. After making the catch, Jefferson turned up field and reached for the end zone. While stretching for the goal line, the ball slipped from Jefferson's hands and flew over the pylon for a touchback. The fumble allowed the Eagles to march 37 yards to set up Jake Elliot's 61-yard field to give Philadelphia a 13-7 halftime lead.
On the second play of the second half, Cousins lost the ball on a sack, setting up the Eagles for another touchdown. In just 1:01 of game time, Minnesota went from potentially leading 14-10 to trailing 20-7.
"We're gonna coach it hard," said Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell of turnovers. "It was a major, major message on Monday, a major message (Wednesday) as far as what I think it's going to take to win the game for our team. Now, we've done enough talking about it, we've got to come out and practice and prepare to be on the hunt to try and get our turnover margin back to zero as fast as possible."
This might not be the week to narrow the margin as the Vikings host the Los Angeles Chargers, who are one of just six teams without a turnover this season, but if Minnesota can even hold serve and keep its margin the same, it could provide more opportunities to get the ground game going.
While rushing will never be the main focus of the offense, a consistent ground attack would, at the very least, keep defenses honest. It would result in more manageable second- and third-down situations, and would open up the secondary for more opportunities down field.
"We've spent a lot of time over this past weekend as a coaching staff looking at our run game, looking at what we've done, what we can do better, how we can coach it better, how I can call it better," said O'Connell. "I think, collectively, for that group up front, I want them to be the driving force behind that success."
Enter Dalton Risner. Knowing the Vikings needed an infusion up front, Minnesota signed one of the top free agent guards available to provide a potential boost in the trenches. Risner, a former second-round pick by the Denver Broncos, signed a one-year deal worth up to $4 million. And that wasn't the only move the Vikings made this week in an effort to bolster their ground attack. The team also announced Thursday it traded for running back Cam Akers.
"He's a downhill runner, he's a physical back, he's got good quickness," said Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips of Akers. "He's proven that he can catch the ball — not just in the short to intermediate, but he's caught some balls down the field, really using his hands — so we're just excited to have him in here."
Akers is in his fourth season in the NFL, and despite not carrying the ball a ton over that span, he's made the most of his opportunities. Akers is averaging almost six yards a carry and 9.3 yards per reception. It's unclear if he'll play much of a role on Sunday against the Chargers, but if he does, it could help provide a spark for a ground unit desperate to catch fire.
"I definitely paid attention to him when I was in college and coming out," said Jefferson of Akers. "Of course I was watching him (and seeing) what he was doing with the Rams, but it's a new chapter for him. ... Excited for that and excited with what we'll see from him."
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