Minnesota didn’t make the playoffs last season by passing all that frequently.
Yes, Kirk Cousins was very solid and raised his QBR, but some of that can be contributed to dropping back less.
So what was the key to the Vikings success? You’d have to mention Dalvin Cook’s 2019, but on the other side of the ball, the Vikings were successful at keeping teams out of the end zone.
According to Pro Football Focus, Minnesota was the second-best team in the red zone for expected points allowed (EPA) per play allowed this past season.
So what does that mean?
On a play-by-play basis, when opposing teams got close to scoring, the Vikings were good at making their journey not entirely successful.
Teams with good EPA per play allowed can often stay in games by holding their opponents to field goals or stopping them from scoring entirely. Minnesota’s -0.14 rating in that category is stellar.
The only team ahead of the Vikings was the Denver Broncos, which had an EPA per play allowed of -0.19.