NFL Minnesota Vikings

Jerick McKinnon Looks Like Capable Replacement For Adrian Peterson

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By @bradberreman24

Jerick McKinnon

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

One bright spot coming out of the Minnesota Vikings’ 17-3 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday is the performance of rookie running back Jerick McKinnon, who had 11 carries for 40 yards and six receptions for 42 yards in the game. All of those numbers led the team, and McKinnon had nine touches on the team’s first 16 offensive plays as he made his first career start.

With legal issues taking Adrian Peterson out of the mix after Week 1, the Vikings had Matt Asiata atop the depth chart with McKinnon seeing just four carries over the following two games. McKinnon topped 100 rushing yards against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4 and the balance of playing time shifted towards him on Sunday as he saw far more snaps (46 vs. 16) and touches (17 vs. 3) than Asiata. Frankly the move was overdue, and McKinnon should continue to be a prominent part of the offense going forward.

The Vikings took McKinnon in the third round (96th overall) of May’s draft, after he spent part of his career at Georgia Southern as an option quarterback. General manager Rick Spielman was right to seek an heir apparent to Peterson as he approaches 30 years old, but as an immediate complement I felt McKinnon had a long way to go with just 10 receptions during his college career. But he has proven to be a capable pass catcher when given an opportunity this year, particularly over the last two games with nine receptions on 11 targets.

The Vikings are 2-4 after Sunday’s loss to the Lions, and even with a favorable three-game stretch coming before their bye week they are increasingly unlikely to become a serious playoff contender. Peterson seems more and more unlikely to play for the team again with each passing day, be it this season or beyond, so it makes sense to start looking toward the future and McKinnon is that at running back right now.

McKinnon is clearly more talented than Asiata, who I think has a future place as a short yardage/goal line back for the Vikings and that role should not be overlooked. But bad offensive line play is hampering the Vikings’ offense, and until that changes the team’s recent struggle to score points will continue. McKinnon may be talented enough to overcome the shortcomings around him, like Peterson did through much of his time with the team, which is a quality the Vikings lack overall and need to find way to deploy. If nothing else, rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater can keep targeting McKinnon frequently on short passes and screens if the offensive line continues to be deficient in pass protection.

The ineptitude of Atlanta’s defense has to be kept in mind, but McKinnon showed what he can do with a bigger workload with 152 yards from scrimmage on 19 touches (18 carries and one catch) against the Falcons. Minnesota’s inability to sustain much of anything offensively over the last two weeks has led to fewer opportunities for everyone, but McKinnon still had 18 carries and nine receptions over those two games and that itself is notable.

With Peterson out of the mix until further notice, tight end Kyle Rudolph (groin) out for at least a few more games and the Vikings’ wide receivers largely missing in action right now, McKinnon needs to be given a chance to be an all-around workhorse and the focal point of the offense. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner seemed intent on doing just that early against the Lions, but beyond the plays that are scripted to start the game McKinnon’s opportunities dropped off. Three interceptions and eight sacks surely contributed to McKinnon’s lack of sustained involvement, but going forward, things should improve and Turner will be able to keep the rookie running back heavily involved throughout all four quarters.

I think McKinnon should get some chances as a kickoff returner as well, even with the likelihood his offensive role continues to grow, since Cordarrelle Patterson is dealing with a hip issue and looked far less than 100 percent healthy against Detroit. It would make sense to mix in others in an effort to spark something, even at the risk of hurting Patterson’s confidence, and McKinnon returned some kickoffs during the preseason.

In fact, having Patterson and McKinnon on kickoff returns together once in awhile would put some options for creativity on the table for special teams coach Mike Priefer. At this point any opportunity to get McKinnon on the field, and the ball into his hands, should be looked at closely by the Vikings’ coaching staff.

I’m not quite ready to call McKinnon a sure-fire budding superstar, and he needs to at least maintain, or ideally build on, what he has done in recent weeks to change my thinking before the end of this season. But he does look like a viable future replacement for Peterson, and the timetable to find out about him has obviously been accelerated now.

In what is starting to look like a season that’s headed in the wrong direction, Vikings’ fans still have a lot of hope for the future and McKinnon is one of the biggest symbols of that on the offensive side of the ball.

Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter and Google +.

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