Monday Morning Mailbag: Pass D, RBs & 'Home' Crowd in L.A.

Viktor

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Mar 19, 2019
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Awesome win against the Chargers. I still have some concerns about our coverage defense, though. What happened to our corners being shutdown corners?


Cheers from Montana


— Alex G



Alex isn’t the only one asking about coverage defense this week. The Chargers converted a third-and-10 and a third-and-12 on their opening drive on the way to a field goal. Los Angeles then had three consecutive pass gains of 11, 14 and 27 yards on the way to a touchdown and 10-9 lead with 8:42 left in the second quarter.


After that, however, the Vikings were able to limit the damage of an eight-time Pro Bowl QB with a variety of weapons. In the second half, Philip Rivers had a passer rating of 48.7. He finished with a 71.2 one week after posting a career-best 154.4 in a thumping of Jacksonville. So while the long third-down conversions were frustrating early, keeping points off the board is still paramount. The Chargers 10 points tied their low for the season.


Minnesota can’t count on forcing seven turnovers and getting a 56-yard scoop and score by Ifeadi Odenigbo every week, but the coverage performance and pass rush improved over the course of the game.


Another item of note is the snap counts for the corners:


Mackensie Alexander, 48
Mike Hughes, 46


Holton Hill, 31


Trae Waynes, 27


Xavier Rhodes, 14


Kris Boyd, 7
 
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