The Minnesota Vikings boast a new play-caller this season in head coach Kevin O’Connell, and THE BLITZ projects their pass/run mix to skew 4.1% more towards passing than it did last season (adjusted for context).
THE BLITZ projects the Minnesota Vikings as the 7th-most pass-centric team in football (context-neutralized) at the present time with a 64.5% pass rate.
THE BLITZ projects the Minnesota Vikings offense to be the 7th-fastest paced team in the NFL (in a neutral context) right now, averaging 26.83 seconds per play.
This game will be played in a dome—meaning no wind, increased pass volume, increased TD potential, and increased passing efficiency.
THE BLITZ projects Justin Jefferson to garner 10.6 targets this week, on average, putting him in the 98th percentile among WRs.
Cons
The Vikings are a giant 7.5-point favorite this week, which points towards an extreme rushing game script.
Opposing offenses have averaged 27.2 pass attempts per game versus the Chicago Bears defense this year: least in the NFL.
Justin Jefferson has put up significantly fewer air yards this season (98.0 per game) than he did last season (128.0 per game).
Justin Jefferson’s 69.5 WOPR (Weighted Opportunity Rating—a volume stat that measures high-value offensive involvement) has been notably worse this year than it was last year at 81.0.
The Minnesota Vikings O-line profiles as the 7th-worst in the NFL this year in protecting the QB, which has a negative effect on all pass game statistics across the board.