Whenever you are missing an All-Pro caliber player, you won’t be able to just replace them, but you hope that the replacement can be at replacement level or above.
The Vikings were in that situation on Thursday night with left tackle Christian Darrisaw in the concussion protocol for the second time this month and third-year player Blake Brandel, a sixth-round pick in 2020, got his first start.
The Vikings did not adjust well at all against the Dallas Cowboys when he was thrust into action after just 18 offensive snaps. Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence ate him alive and he didn’t get nearly enough help.
Against the New England Patriots just four days later, Kevin O’Connell made the necessary adjustments and did a great job maximizing him on Thanksgiving night. Here’s how he did it.
Slow release chip
The Vikings ran a lot more two tight end sets and used fullback C.J. Ham than they have previously. That was by design without having Darrisaw in the lineup.
On this play early in the first quarter, tight end T.J. Hockenson releases slowly and in doing so, blocks Matthew Judon and makes things much easier for Brandel.
Double team
Another way to help Brandel is a true double team with another offensive lineman. The Vikings have the protection sliding to the right with Bradbury, Ingram and O’Neill each having 1v1 matchups. Brandel gets help from Ezra Cleveland and they take care of the edge rusher.
Even though Judon is on the other side, this is advantageous for the Patriots. It draws a 1v1 with Judon on O’Neill.
Running interference
In a similar way to Hockenson helping with the edge rusher, the Vikings have Dalvin Cook run interference so Brandel has an easier path to getting a good block. What running this interference on Wise does is narrow his arsenal of moves since he can’t truly bend the edge.
Boot action away from Brandel
The Vikings ran a lot of boot action with Cousins last year. It was a staple of the Gary Kubiak version of the wide zone offense. O’Connell doesn’t do nearly as much of it. However, he did it a few times on Thursday night and it makes Brandel’s job incredibly easy because he doesn’t have to worry about getting beaten for a sack.
Normal chip
When Hockenson chipped earlier, he released really slowly. In this play, Johnny Mundt gets a quick block and releases in a quicker manner. This makes things slightly easier for the passing game and gives Cousins an option in the flat.
No help
This is why the Vikings made it a priority to give Brandel help. He can get beat with speed and quickness, as he isn’t the best athlete. Josh Uche attacks the outside shoulder initially and rips a filthy spin move to get past Brandel and earn the sack. This is why Brandel isn’t a starter and is the Vikings top backup tackle.
