by Vincent Verhei

Jerick McKinnon's collegiate career was a bit of a mess, as he spent time a cornerback, running back, and quarterback at Georgia Southern. That made it hard to project McKinnon at the NFL level but there was no doubt he was a very special athlete. He shined at the combine, leading all running backs in the bench press (with six more reps than any other runner) and finishing second at the position in 40-yard dash, vertical leap, and broad jump. Though he stands just 5-foot-9, he weighs 209 pounds with a 40 time of 4.41 seconds. That works out to a Speed Score of 110.5, best of any drafted runner this year. Though he lacked experience and refinement, his athleticism was sure to garner interest from some NFL squad. Here's part of what Matt Waldman had to say about McKinnon in his predraft analysis of rooking running backs:

What I found most encouraging is that [McKinnon] ran with his eyes -- he could set up blockers and make defenders miss creases when asked to do so. There are still concerns about his footwork because he often loses balance when he attempts a dramatic cut or bend. McKinnon has everything a coach wants from a running back in terms of physical dimensions and talents. The question is if the back can develop a conceptual game commensurate with the NFL. ... Scouts love the idea of players like McKinnon. He offers enough to an organization as a contributor on special teams that he's the classic "safe" late-round pick even if he never pans out as a running back.

Though it appeared at the time that they had no immediate need for a running back, the Vikings took McKinnon in the third round in case anything bad happened to Adrian Peterson. As it turned out, Adrian Peterson happened to Adrian Peterson, and McKinnon became a key contributor far sooner than anyone in Minnesota had anticipated. Once Peterson was suspended, the Vikings tried third-year pro Matt Asiata as their starter, but he has gradually been losing time to McKinnon. That, if you're a Vikings fan, is for the best. McKinnon is already paying dividends for Minnesota, and he was the most valuable rusher of the week in the NFL.

That's partly because he was playing the Buffalo Bills, who entered the week ranked second in the league in run defense, giving McKinnon a big boost in opponent adjustments. Against a defense like that, success is going to come in small doses. McKinnon had only four first downs against Buffalo, and just two other successful runs. However, only two of his carries failed to gain yardage -- a read option where nobody blocked Jerry Hughes, and a dive play that ran right into the heart of the Buffalo defense.

Meanwhile, when he got a chance to explode, he made the most of it. Though two of McKinnon's runs are mysteriously missing from NFL Game Rewind (in fact, a whole Minnesota drive is omitted), we can still see that the Vikings did a lot with McKinnon: 22 personnel power runs, shotgun read options, "full house"-type plays with two tight ends essentially in the backfield, and pitch plays to go around, not through, the Bills. And whatever the Vikings tried, it usually worked out OK.

Jerick McKinnon's Carries vs. BUF, Week 7 Qtr Time Down To Go Yard line Yards Direction Type 1 14:55 1 10 MIN 9 3 middle Dive/inside zone 1 14:22 2 7 MIN 12 11 right end Pitch w/pulling linemen 1 13:56 1 10 MIN 23 4 left end Pitch w/pulling linemen 1 6:52 2 20 MIN 37 8 right guard Dive/inside zone 1 3:49 1 10 BUF 27 3 right end Missing 1 3:13 2 7 BUF 24 2 middle Missing 2 13:01 1 10 BUF 41 3 middle Read option 2 9:19 1 10 MIN 40 1 left end Pitch w/pulling linemen 2 8:43 2 9 MIN 41 7 middle "Full House" misdirection 3 13:00 1 10 MIN 6 29 middle Dive/inside zone 3 12:20 1 10 MIN 35 1 middle Inside zone 3 2:28 1 10 MIN 49 9 middle Read option 3 2:03 2 1 BUF 42 1 middle Read option 3 0:45 2 16 BUF 47 -2 right tackle Read option 4 14:52 1 10 BUF 21 0 middle "Full House" misdirection 4 12:19 3 23 BUF 23 8 middle Dive/inside zone 4 6:45 2 10 MIN 22 1 left guard Dive/inside zone 4 5:28 1 10 MIN 36 13 left guard Read option 4 4:41 1 15 MIN 44 1 left guard Dive/inside zone Runs that gained a first down are shaded yellow.

Let's examine some of McKinnon's biggest runs against Buffalo, in the order they occurred in the game. Unfortunately, coaches' film for Sunday's games had not been uploaded as of the time of this writing, so we're limited to standard TV views.

First quarter, 14:22 to go, second-and-7 at the MIN 12: The Vikings line up in an I-formation with both receivers to the right, then pitch the ball to that side. Right tackle Phil Loadholt pulls to that side for some extra blocking power. The Bills blitz up the middle, a play-call that leaves them vulnerable to this kind of pitch, and McKinnon doesn't do anything special to make this a successful play. When he hits the corner, though, he makes his cut and zips up the field. It's rare acceleration, and a lot of NFL running backs might have gained 5 or 6 yards on the play instead of 11. (The Bills jumped offsides on the play; the Vikings denied the penalty, of course.)

Third quarter, 13:00 to go, first-and-10 at the MIN 6: This is McKinnon's longest run of the day, and he did the bulk of the work by himself. The Vikings start their first drive of the second half backed up deep in their own end. They go conservative, in an I-formation with two tight ends to the right. McKinnon starts to the left, then cuts back to the right. Mario Williams has a chance to tackle McKinnon from behind for a short gain, but McKinnon muscles through the arm tackle. Aaron Williams is then in perfect position to make the tackle, but McKinnon dismisses him with a Stiff-Arm of Complete Disdain. McKinnon's physicality is impressive enough, but what he does next might be my favorite part of the play. From a nearly stopped position, he turns on the jets and zips past several Bills defenders for about 15 more yards, gaining 29 in total on the play. This is some pretty special zero-to-60 time, and it produced the longest run Buffalo has allowed all year.

Third quarter, 2:28 to go, first-and-10 at the MIN 49: A simple read-option play that shows off McKinnon's power. McKinnon take the ball and immediately disappears into a pile of bodies. Time freezes for a moment, then McKinnon pops through the other side, and by the time the Bills realize it, McKinnon has a 9-yard gain. Here is where I'd really like to have access to the end zone cam. It almost appears that McKinnon barrels over his own offensive tackle and uses Loadholt's body as a path downfield.

Fourth quarter, 5:28 to go, first-and-10 and the MIN 36: Another read option, this one catches the Bills off guard. McKinnon finds the gaping hole on the right side of the line and again shows off his one-step burst. As the old saying goes, McKinnon isn't quick, he's sudden.

It's hard to find much not to like about McKinnon's game on Sunday. On one play it appeared he hesitated to hit a big hole in the line, and by the time he got there the hole was closed, resulting in a 1-yard gain that seemed like it should have been longer. Without the end zone camera angle, though, it's hard to judge how big the hole truly was, or to tell just what McKinnon saw on the play. It also appears the Vikings don't trust McKinnon in short yardage. The Vikings had five third-down plays with 5 yards or fewer to go for a first down: two runs by Asiata, one by Jerome Felton, and two passes by Teddy Bridgewater. They only converted one of those plays. Given McKinnon's steady production, there's no reason to think he couldn't have extended one of those drives.

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This is McKinnon's second big game this season; he gained 135 yards on just 18 carries against Atlanta in Week 4. Two games is far too small a sample from which to draw any meaningful conclusions, but it's clear that Bridgewater is not the only exciting rookie in the Minnesota backfield.

Denver's Big Trio

You'll notice the Denver Broncos dominating this week's tables, with Peyton Manning the league's leading passer, Ronnie Hillman the top running back (including receiving value), and Demaryius Thomas the most valuable receiver. Is that the first time this has happened? By the time we noticed, it was too late to check for sure, but it seems safe to assume that somebody has done it at some point. Green Bay nearly did it in Week 2 last season, and the Saints just missed in Week 10.

Quarterbacks Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 1. Peyton Manning DEN 22/26 318 4 0 232 232 0 Manning went 8-for-8 in the first quarter, and it's not like he was just checking down. Those eight completions netted 116 yards, two touchdowns, and four other first downs. He wasn't perfect, though; his last play of the quarter was a sack, proving that Manning is human ... -ish. 2. Tony Romo DAL 17/23 279 3 1 156 153 3 Romo, meanwhile, was best late in the game. In the second half, he went 9-of-9 for 166 yards with one touchdown and four other first downs. 3. Eli Manning NYG 21/33 248 3 0 145 140 5 As Aaron Schatz noted in Audibles, Manning made great use of his tight ends against Dallas. He threw nine passes to Larry Donnell and Daniel Fells, completing eight of them for 117 yards, one touchdown, and three other first downs. The ninth pass was an 11-yard DPI and another first down. (If you're looking for Donnell in the receiving tables, you won't find him, thanks mainly to a pair of fumbles.) 4. Russell Wilson SEA 23/36 313 2 0 132 79 53 As you've probably heard by now, Wilson became the first player in NFL history to gain 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a single game. In a case of too little, too late, Wilson was dominant on Seattle's last three drives, going 11-of-14 for 142 yards with two touchdowns and seven other first downs, while also rushing six times for 105 yard with another touchdown and three other first downs. 5. Ryan Tannehill MIA 26/32 277 2 0 130 113 16 This, apparently, was the weak of streaky quarterbacks. In the first half, Tannehill went 14-of-15 for 176 yards with one touchdown and seven other first downs, though he was also sacked four times. 6. Drew Brees NO 28/44 342 2 1 129 121 8 Speaking of streaky passers: On the Saints' first two drives, Brees went 8-of-11, but only gained 60 yards and two first downs, and he was also sacked once. On their next five drives he went 8-of-8 for 143 yards with a touchdown and six other first downs. And then on their last six drives, he went 7-of-19 for 82 yards with three first downs and an interception. Shockingly, his last 14 plays were all failures, a stretch where he went 3-of-14 for 17 yards and a pick. 7. Andrew Luck IND 27/42 344 2 0 117 146 -29 Luck, like Eli Manning, was quite effective when throwing to his tight ends, going 8-of-12 for 136 yards with a touchdown and five other first downs when throwing to Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen, and Jack Doyle. 8. Aaron Rodgers GB 19/22 255 3 0 107 101 7 Rodgers likely would have ranked higher, but he was pulled after three quarters with the Packers ahead 35-3. On first downs, he went 9-of-10 for 170 yards with one sack, but five first downs, including all three touchdowns. 9. Austin Davis STL 18/21 152 2 0 94 94 0 Only five of Davis' passes were thrown to receivers more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Those five passes resulted in four completions for 76 yards, plus a 16-yard DPI. 10. Tom Brady NE 20/37 261 3 0 74 74 0 On third downs, Brady went 7-of-10 for 74 yards with two touchdowns and three other first downs, plus a 32-yard DPI. 11. Alex Smith KC 19/28 221 1 0 60 50 9 Smith's average pass attempt only traveled 4.61 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The only starting quarterback who threw shorter passes was Aaron Rodgers (4.55). 12. Ryan Fitzpatrick HOU 21/32 262 2 1 59 64 -4 Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 13. Ben Roethlisberger PIT 23/33 265 2 0 52 50 1 14. Joe Flacco BAL 16/25 258 2 2 50 48 3 Feast or famine for Flacco on deep passes. He threw seven passes against Atlanta that traveled 15 yards or more downfield. None of those passes resulted in an incompletion. Four were complete for 100 total yards. A fifth resulted in a 36-yard DPI. The other two were intercepted. 15. Colt McCoy WAS 11/12 128 1 0 47 49 -2 McCoy's completions gained 22 yards in the air and 106 yards after the catch, 63 of the on his very first throw. 16. Derek Anderson CAR 5/8 43 1 0 39 39 0 All of Anderson's pass attempts came with Carolina down by 28 points in the fourth quarter. 17. Philip Rivers SD 17/31 205 2 1 35 35 0 The KC-SD game was truly a contrast in styles. We already talked about Alex Smith's tendency to throw short passes. Meanwhile, Rivers focused on the deep ball, with an average pass attempt traveling 15.1 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, most of any starter this week. On ten deep passes, he went 3-of-9 for 78 yards and an interception, plus a 22-yard DPI. 18. Carson Palmer ARI 22/31 253 2 1 30 30 0 On third and fourth downs, Palmer went 10-of-13 for 131 yards with eight conversions, including two touchdowns, plus one sack. 19. Geno Smith NYJ 20/33 226 1 0 20 13 7 Smith was very bad throwing to most areas of the field, but he tore up the short middle of the Patriots' defense, going 8-of-12 for 117 yards with seven first downs, including a touchdown. 20. Charlie Whitehurst TEN 17/26 160 2 1 -5 -4 -1 Whitehurst threw five deep passes in the first half, four incomplete, one intercepted. He only threw one deep pass in the second, half, a go-ahead 38-yard touchdown to Derek Hagan. 21. Derek Carr OAK 16/28 173 0 0 -6 -1 -5 On Arizona's half of the field, Carr went 1-of-5 for 7 yards and no first downs. 22. Colin Kaepernick SF 24/39 263 1 1 -11 -16 4 Passes to running backs and wide receivers are supposed to be high-percentage plays. Not for Kaepernick, who went 4-of-8 for 29 yards and only one first down on passes to Vernon Davis, Carlos Hyde, and Frank Gore. Rk Player Team CP/AT Yds TD INT Total

DYAR Pass

DYAR Rush

DYAR 23. Cam Newton CAR 17/31 205 1 1 -31 -31 0 Newton did not complete a pass on Green Bay's side of the field until Carolina was down by 35 points in the fourth quarter. On the Packers' side of the 50, he went 2-of-7 for 20 yards with one interception, one sack, and one very meaningless touchdown. 24. Kyle Orton BUF 32/42 283 2 1 -33 -33 0 On Minnesota's half of the field, Orton went 12-of-16, but for just 93 yards and five first downs (though that included the game-winning touchdown). Meanwhile, three of those completions lost yardage, he wa sacked three times, and he also committed an intentional grounding penalty. 25. Jay Cutler CHI 21/34 190 1 1 -48 -47 -1 Long-yardage situations were death for Cutler against Miami. With more than 10 yards to go for a first down, he went 4-of-6 for 41 yards, with one first down, two sacks, and one fumble. 26. Matt Ryan ATL 29/44 228 1 0 -61 -66 5 Ryan moved the ball at times, but had big problems on either end of the field. Inside his own 20, he went 5-of-9 for 36 yards with one first down and one sack for a safety. Inside the Baltimore 40, he went 6-of-11 for 47 yards with two first downs (including a touchdown), two sacks, and one fumble. 27. Kirk Cousins WAS 11/16 139 0 1 -77 -77 0 Throwing to the middle of the field, Cousins went 2-of-5 for 4 yards with no first downs and one interception. 28. Matthew Stafford DET 27/40 299 2 2 -90 -87 -4 Stafford failed to do much in short-yardage. With 6 yards or less to go for a first down, he went just 3-of-9 for 15 yards with one touchdown, one other first down, one interception, and two DPIs for 34 total yards. 29. Andy Dalton CIN 18/38 126 0 0 -115 -112 -4 The Bengals started this game with eight straight three-and-outs, which is very, very bad. Over that stretch, Dalton went 6-of-17 for 12 yards (not a typo) with a long gain of just 8 yards, no first downs and, even further, no successful plays. Good Lord. 30. Teddy Bridgewater MIN 15/26 157 1 2 -131 -131 -1 No Kyle Rudolph and no Adrian Peterson means that Bridgewater went 3-of-10 for 11 yards with one first down and an interception when throwing to his backs and tight ends. 31. Brian Hoyer CLE 16/41 215 0 1 -149 -149 0 Inside the Jacksonville 40, Hoyer went 2-of-7 for 9 yards with one first down and one sack. 32. Blake Bortles JAC 17/31 159 1 3 -160 -176 15 What a shootout this was. On third downs, Bortles went 4-of-11 for 40 yards, with three first downs, with two sacks and two interceptions.

Five most valuable running backs (Total) Rk Player Team Runs Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR 1. Ronnie Hillman DEN 14 74 2 4/4 29 0 43 23 20 Hillman had touchdown runs of 1 and 37 yards, and added an 11-yard gain, with only two carries for no gain or a loss. As a receiver, he twice gained 11 yards on first-and-10. 2. Matt Forte CHI 12 49 1 6/7 60 1 42 20 22 Forte's longest run covered 16 yards. He added a 1-yard touchdown on third-and-goal, while being stuffed only twice. As a receiver, he had a 10-yard touchdown, plus catches of 24 and 10 yards, and a 6-yard gain on fourth-and-2. 3. Le'veon Bell PIT 12 57 0 8/8 88 1 41 2 39 4. Ahmad Bradshaw IND 10 52 1 3/3 36 1 26 -6 32 Bradshaw makes this list despite fumbling on a running play. In addition to his goal-line touchdown, he had runs of 15 and 11 yards, plus a 3-yard gain on third-and-1. His three catches included an 18-yard gain on third-and-1 and a 10-yard touchdown. 5. Trent Richardson IND 14 77 0 4/5 41 0 25 10 16 Richardson had catches of 20 and 13 yards, plus runs of 10 and 11 yards and a 5-yard gain on second-and-1.

Five most valuable running backs (Rushing) Rk Player Team Runs Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR 1. Jerick McKinnon MIN 19 103 0 2/4 -2 0 7 30 -24 McKinnon's receptions were a 6-yard loss on first-and-10 and a 4-yard gain on second-and-16. So that's bad. 2. Denard Robinson JAC 22 127 1 0/1 0 0 21 25 -4 Toby Gerhart currently has the worst rushing DYAR in the league, so maybe Robinson should stick in the starting lineup. He had five runs of 10 or more yards, tied with DeMarco Murray for most in the league. 3. Jamaal Charles KC 22 95 1 2/4 12 0 8 24 -17 Charles makes this list mainly because he was so successful in short yardage, converting five of seven carries with 6 yards or less to go for a first down. 4. Ronnie Hillman DEN 14 74 2 4/4 29 0 43 23 20 5. Chris Ivory NYJ 21 107 1 4/4 18 0 22 22 0 Ivory was stuffed for a loss just once, but he had eight total first downs, converting seven of nine carries with 6 yards or less to go for a first down.

Least valuable running back (Total) Rk Player Team Runs Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR 1. Giovani Bernard CIN 7 17 0 2/5 -1 0 -49 -17 -32 Bernard's longest carry, and only successful run, was a 6-yard gain on first-and-10. He twice failed to convert and second-and-4. His receiving numbers, well, they speak for themselves.

Least valuable running back (Rushing) Rk Player Team Runs Rush

Yds Rush

TD Rec Rec

Yds Rec

TD Total

DYAR Rush

DYAR Rec

DYAR 1. Andre Williams NYG 18 51 0 0/3 0 0 -47 -31 -16 Williams was stuffed six times for no gain or a loss, and had four other runs for exactly 1 yard.

Five most valuable wide receivers and tight ends Rk Player Team Rec Att Yds Avg TD Total

DYAR 1. Demaryius Thomas DEN 8 9 171 21.4 2 83 Thomas had three catches of 32 or more yards. He had two failed completions: a 15-yard gain on third-and-26 and a 14-yard gain on third-and-17. 2. Kenny Stills NO 5 5 103 20.6 1 64 Each of Still's catches gained at least 10 yards and a first down. He also drew an 11-yard DPI to convert a second-and-24. 3. Dez Bryant DAL 9 12 151 16.8 0 55 Bryant produced five first downs, but no touchdowns. That's mostly an issue of opportunity. He had no targets in the red zone, and just one inside the New York 40. 4. Sammy Watkins BUF 9 14 122 13.6 2 53 Watkins led the league with nine receiving first downs this week. 5. Torrey Smith BAL 3 5 81 27.0 1 51 Each of Smith's catches gained at least 22 yards, and he also drew a 36-yard DPI.