The Minnesota Vikings boast a new play-caller this year in head coach Kevin O’Connell, and THE BLITZ projects their pass/run mix to skew 5.0% more towards passing than it did last year (in a neutral context).
THE BLITZ projects the Minnesota Vikings to be the 6th-most pass-oriented team on the slate this week with a 62.1% pass rate, accounting for their underlying tendencies and matchup dynamics.
THE BLITZ projects this game to have the 3rd-largest volume of plays run on the slate this week at 131.8 plays, accounting for the tendencies of each team and game dynamics.
THE BLITZ projects Justin Jefferson to earn 10.9 targets this week, on average, ranking in the 98th percentile among wideouts.
Justin Jefferson has accrued many more receiving yards per game (103.0) this year than he did last year (90.0).
Cons
The Vikings are a 3-point favorite this week, likely leading to a rushing game script.
Opposing offenses have averaged 32.1 pass attempts per game vs. the Washington Commanders defense this year: 6th-least in the NFL.
Justin Jefferson has accrued significantly fewer air yards this season (86.0 per game) than he did last season (128.0 per game).
Justin Jefferson’s 67.7 WOPR (Weighted Opportunity Rating—a volume statistic that measures high-value offensive involvement) has been significantly worse this year than it was last year at 81.0.
The Minnesota Vikings offensive line ranks as the 7th-worst in the NFL this year in protecting the QB, which has a negative impact on all air attack statistics across the board.