The Vikings’ recent pass-happy and aggressive offensive approach seemingly runs counter to the team’s past style.
Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer praised the new strategy after the Vikings defeated the Packers on Sunday.
Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins threw some dangerous passes, but that’s an accepted risk for any efficient offense. The Vikings quarterback talked about those passes after the Week 11 win:
“I could kind of point to a half dozen throws there that were too aggressive and I could argue that that’s one of them, and I don’t think you want to live doing that,” Cousins said, via Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated. “The difference between him catching that and making the play he did and it going the other way [on an interception] is very small.”
Zimmer, however, said this:
“I want him to keep doing it like he’s doing it. If you throw an interception, you throw an interception,” Zimmer said, per Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated. “That’s life. If we keep going for the jugular, that opens up a lot of other things.”
Despite the risky throws, Cousins hasn’t thrown a whole lot of interceptions this year. The Vikings quarterback has 21 touchdown passes and two picks. If you don’t like basic stats, the team is ranked 11th in EPA/play on offense and Cousins ranks ninth in EPA+CPOE composite. Take your pick — eye test or analytics — Minnesota’s offense looks better when it’s more aggressive. Zimmer is correct.