Head coach Kevin O’Connell discussed several narratives from Sunday night’s defeat against the Broncos with the media.
On Sunday night, the Minnesota Vikings were defeated on the road by the Denver Broncos. Here are some of the notes from Kevin O’Connell’s news conference on Monday and the 21-20 road loss…
Justin Jefferson, a safety for Denver, was punished with a significant suspension on Monday even though he did not get any punishment for lowering his helmet and colliding with Justin Jefferson on the game’s first drive. He was found to have committed a “serious violation of the rules,” according to NFL Compliance Officer, and the NFL announced that he will miss the next four games without pay. He had already been suspended once for repeatedly taking off his helmet and getting kicked out.
The NFL’s “command center” in New York has been able to review plays that can result in an expulsion since 2018. However, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero pointed out, the league is only able to intervene if a penalty flag is raised during the play.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said after the game that he thought Jackson should have been penalized for the play that resulted in Justin Jefferson’ fumble and the QB’s trip to the injury tent.
“It appeared to be a fairly straightforward hit from helmet to helmet, but I’m sure the play saw it differently,” O’Connell remarked.
It’s difficult to see why a play that so obviously ought to have been called back for needless roughness and perhaps even led to an ejection could not have had the league intervene. These plays, like the one on Sunday night, are particularly tough for officials to call in the heat of the moment and frequently have a big impact on the outcome of the game. Jackson continued to play and contributed 74 defensive snaps for Denver in addition to helping the Broncos score a field goal following the turnover.
Justin Jefferson completed the game with 20 of his 32 passes for 221 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the Broncos defeat. His performance under pressure was very different from his performance with a clean pocket.
Justin got a PFF rating of 90.3 when the Denver defense did not put pressure on him. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 178 yards (8.5 YPA), had two big throws, and had no plays that should have resulted in a turnover. The issue was that he only completed four passes on 17 pressured drop-backs, including his lone interception in which his arm was struck as he was throwing. He was pressured on 44.7% of drop-backs.
The offensive line’s performance was not entirely reflected in Dobbs’ pressure rate. Under duress, he needed over five seconds to toss. That would imply that there were benefits and drawbacks to his fondness for scrambling. On four running attempts, he garnered 21 yards, and his PFF rushing grade was the second lowest of the season.
