It is no secret that the Minnesota Vikings have had a rocky start to the 2023 season. That’s probably putting it lightly.
After bringing back a solid amount of the core that helped lead them to a crazy 13-win season, this 2-4 start feels very anticlimactic.
Even through circumstances such as this, there are bright spots to be found throughout the roster. One of them happens to stay in a three-point stance on the defensive side of the ball.
After the Philadelphia Eagles game, Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire highlighted Minnesota defensive lineman Harrison Phillips as a potential secret superstar of this Vikings defense.
On the surface, this was a wild assessment to have after Philadelphia’s offensive line manhandled this Minnesota defensive line. Everyone except Phillips.
He had five run stops that week, tied for the most by any interior defensive lineman with the Jets’ Quinnen Williams, and added a sack and hurry.
Phillips has been a consistent positive for this Vikings defense that has started to find their stride under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Since week four, the Vikings are seventh in EPA and 13th in success rate. Part of that is due to their ability to stop the run, they are tied for eighth in yards per attempt allowed in that span. Phillips has been one of the main reasons for this success.
In this exercise, we will show a sequence of plays from the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears that outline Harrison Phillips’ effect on this defense, and how Flores has been utilizing him to accentuate his abilities.
Some context
In the early stages of this game, both offenses had found their rhythm for a single drive but neither finished the job in the end zone.
Chicago got as close as the Minnesota four-yard line, but a Phillips run stop at the line of scrimmage forced a short field goal from Bears’ kicker Cairo Santos.
The score is 6-3 and the two offenses have traded punts with just over six minutes to go in the half.
Then, it happens.
Justin Fields finds Darnell Mooney streaking across the middle of the field on a deep crosser and he breaks loose for 39 yards. A shoestring tackle from Harrison Smith saves this play from causing any further damage.
Even Mooney recognizes how close he was to breaking this game wide open.
After allowing the biggest play of the game thus far, this Vikings team has to regroup and find a way to stop this Bears offense in front of a raucous Soldier Field crowd.
First and ten
Chicago comes out in a three-receiver set, a formation that they threw out of 61% of the time on Sunday. After the explosive from Mooney, it would make sense to attack the pass defense again while they reel from the proverbial body blow.
The Bears instead decide to further establish their running game.
Fields approaches the line of scrimmage with newly acquired running back Darrynton Evans. Evans was brought in after both Khalil Herbert and rookie Roschon Johnson were unable to play due to injury.
Phillips lines up directly over center Cody Whitehair as Minnesota lines up with four players with their hands in the dirt.
Kmet motions to the right side of the line and flips the strength toward the boundary. Once safety Smith walks down into the box, you can see Evans flip to the other side of Fields, ready to attack the weak side of the line that seems to have two one-on-one matchups, including Danielle Hunter in a wide-nine.
As long as right guard Ja’Tyre Carter wins his one-on-one and the double-team on Phillips holds up, the A-gap should be open. Heck, if Whitehair can climb after the double-team, there could be back-to-back explosives on our hands.
Phillips had other plans.
As the play starts, Phillips anticipates the double-team and immediately attacks the inside shoulder of left guard Teven Jenkins. After this, he uses his strength to, quite literally, bring Whitehair to his knees. As Whitehair continuously loses leverage, he and Bullard close up the A-gap. Wonnum has time to come from the backside of the play to stop it for a single yard.
Second and nine
Okay, so first down didn’t go as planned.
Second and long, Chicago goes back to the passing game that got them in Vikings territory.
Back to the three-receiver set with Moore and Mooney split at the top of the formation. Rookie Tyler Scott is by himself toward the near sideline.
Before the ball snaps, the defense is lined up in a more traditional 2-4-5 look than what most are used to seeing from a Brian Flores coached defense. Has the early success on this drive driven Flores to be a bit, dare I say, conservative?
No. Phillips and Bullard line up at their respective 3-techniques and leave an opening for any would-be rushers up the spine of the offense.
The ball is snapped and disaster strikes.
D.J. Moore, of all the Bears receivers, runs free down the sideline after corner Byron Murphy cheats too far inside on the Mooney in-breaker. Given Moore’s ability with the ball in the air, this can easily be a touchdown and the start of another big day for Fields and Moore.
But, the ball wasn’t thrown. Why?
On the line, Danielle Hunter feigns a rush and drops back into coverage, causing confusion on the right side of the offensive line.
Darnell Wright blocks Bullard, which is all well and good, but that leaves Whitehair and Carter without anyone to block. By the time they realize their next assignment, it’s far too late.
Phillips beats Jenkins cleanly to the inside and causes immediate pressure up the middle. Jenkins does eventually deter his progress to the quarterback, but by then, it’s too late.
Fields has already moved off the spot. He checks the ball down to Evans for a measly two yards.
Third and seven
Third down. The money down.
Fields and company see the patented Flores mugged-up linebackers and decide to try to catch the defense with something they’re not expecting.
Chicago stays true to the 2×1 alignment, but with a very important adjustment.
Now, Moore is the lone receiver at the bottom of the formation. With the ball being spotted at the left hash, a quick slant to Moore could be the perfect plan to pick up a first down. With both Mooney and Scott to the field, the danger of a quick swing route or tunnel screen is also eminent.
With this many options in the passing game, the last thing that should be expected is any type of run game.
That’s what Chicago is banking on as they run a read-option to convert on third and seven.
A read-option with seven bodies on the line is certainly a choice and, in the words of the Grail Knight, they chose poorly.
As the line shifted play-side, Cole Kmet pulled backside to cut the unblocked man. The only problem is that unblocked man was Phillips.
Not satisfied with making two key plays on this drive already, Phillips, now lined up as a 5-technique, races down the line and gets all of Kmet’s cut-block. He’s upended as Evans is approaching the line of scrimmage.
Phillips, almost off instinct, raises a hand and swipes at the foot of Evans as he looks to slither past the narrow opening between him and linebacker Pat Jones, III. Evans only gains three yards.
Closing Thoughts
What started as a drive that could have jumpstarted another stalwart performance from Fields, turned into just three points for the Bears.
They never fully recovered. The next points they scored would be at the hands of undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent midway through the fourth quarter after Fields left early in the third with a dislocated thumb.
The Chicago offense was disjointed far before that, though. Before the half, the Bears threw a crucial interception, which Minnesota turned into a touchdown soon after. They gave up a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown to Jordan Hicks after safety Josh Metellus strip-sacked an unassuming Bagent.
It’s a wonder what Chicago’s offense could have looked like if they capitalized and turned that explosive play to Mooney into points.
Thanks to Phillips, we’ll never know.
