Presser Points: Zimmer Praises Vikings Play in Trenches, Mattison’s Hard-Nosed Rushes

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Mar 19, 2019
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EAGAN, Minn. – Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer wasted no time Monday afternoon getting to the point of why he thought his team came away with a gritty 28-24 win over the Cowboys on Sunday night.


“I really thought both sides of the ball — our offensive line and defensive line — played outstanding,” Zimmer said. “[They] played with a lot of toughness, a lot of physicality, a lot of grit.”


The Vikings offensive line did its part to help a rushing attack tally 153 total yards on the ground. Minnesota ranks third in the NFL with exactly 153.0 rushing yards per game, as the Vikings have gained 1,530 yards on 326 rushes (4.7 yards per carry) in 10 games.


Zimmer said he liked the improvement from the previous game against Kansas City.


“Obviously, it was better,” Zimmer said of the ground game. “We finished runs better, we finished blocks better.”


Minnesota also allowed just one sack against a Cowboys team that was averaging 2.75 sacks per game entering Week 10.


And Minnesota’s defensive line played well, even without starting defensive tackle Linval Joseph, who missed the game with a knee injury.


Jaleel Johnson made his second-career start and earned plenty of praise from Zimmer.


“Played really well,” Zimmer said. “First play of the game he tried to maybe come off a block a little bit too soon on the first run, but then after that, he was really good. I thought he played hard, played good. He pushed the pocket a couple times. I thought he did well.


“He’s got strong hands,” Zimmer added. “He’s got kind of a lower center of gravity which helps him to sit down on the double teams. He’s a guy that’s going to go fight every play.”


Rookie Armon Watts also made his presence felt in his first pro game. He split a sack with Everson Griffen and was credited by press box statisticians with three tackles on just seven defensive snaps.


“He got a half-sack and a tackle and he had like six or nine plays or something like that,” Zimmer said. “He played pretty darn good, really. He played pretty good for his first time out. Played the scheme how we’re trying to get him to do it and did well.”


The Vikings bottled up Ezekiel Elliott, as the Cowboys running back had just 47 yards on 20 carries. His average of 2.35 yards per carry was his second-lowest mark of the season.


Johnson led interior linemen with 43 defensive snaps, while Shamar Stephen played 41. Jalyn Holmes played nine.


Defensive ends Stephen Weatherly and Ifeadi Odenigbo, who each played 21 snaps, also saw some time as interior linemen in certain packages.
 
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