The Minnesota Vikings struggled in the redzone in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. Part of this was the team’s inability to run the ball when they got inside the 10-yard line. The statistics tell us that this has been a trend all season.
On Tuesday, Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune shared the troubling stat on through his X account.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Vikings running backs have been hit at the line on 72.2% of their runs inside the opponent’s 10-yard line. That’s the highest rate in the league.
This can largely be attributed to a weak interior offensive line. Center Garrett Bradbury is a better run blocker (13th among centers, according to Pro Football Focus) than a pass blocker. But the guards haven’t been as good.
Left guard Blake Brandel ranks 54th out of 77 guards in run blocking. Dalton Risner took over at right guard because he was a better pass blocker than Ed Ingram. But neither has been good this year in run blocking, with Risner ranking 59th, seven spots lower than Ingram.
How vital left tackle Christian Darrisaw was to the run game shouldn’t be forgotten, either. His 82.3 run-block grade was the sixth-highest in the league before his season ended with an ACL injury in Week 8. Cam Robinson has filled in admirably after starting the season in Jacksonville, but his 59.9 run-block grade ranks 53rd among tackles.