Against the Minnesota Vikings, Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos had one of their best passing games of the year. This included having the capacity to withstand every blitz Minnesota threw at them. Wilson completed the game with 126 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions while throwing against the blitz in a 10/15 split.
But the question I have here is whether Wilson was able to overcome the blitz despite the offensive line’s ability to catch up to it, or whether the line was able to help Wilson succeed. I’ve dissected each of those plays, and the outcome is my movie review.
Throughout the game, the Vikings frequently changed up their pass rush configurations and made extensive use of the blitz. When they weren’t blitzing, they would typically rush three or four men; however, when they were, they would typically send four or five. They sent seven men three times, six men five times, five men once, and four men six times out of their fifteen blitzes. The line allowed Wilson nine clean pockets out of these fifteen blitzes, but they also gave up two QB hits, three pressures, and one sack.
I rated the offensive line as having four “great” blocks, eight “good” blocks, two “meh” blocks, and one “bad” block based on grades. This receives a score of 14 points, or 93%, which is sufficient. I had underestimated how well the offensive line would hold up against the blitz. They also picked up the blitz in a clever and efficient manner, and while Wilson did take an early sack and was hit fairly hard a few times, we’ll examine a few plays to provide more analysis.
Generally speaking, the line did a good job of identifying who was blocking whom and, when feasible, keeping their eyes downfield to detect the delayed blitz. They were fortunate that the Vikings primarily used their rushers at the line of scrimmage; however, pressure was scarcely applied despite the large number of players.
