The Vikings have slipped to 6-5 after a 5-0 start, and Sam Bradford thinks the problem is the offense needs more explosive plays. He's right, and certainly the team's injury-gutted offensive line is part of the problem. But so too is the quarterback the team gave up a first-round pick for.
As a starter in Philadelphia and now Minnesota the last two years, Bradford has generally favored short throws over downfield looks. In each of those seasons, he's been near the bottom of the league in yards per attempt. Until that changes, the explosive plays won't be there.
The table below shows all quarterbacks with at least 200 completions the last two seasons, sorted by yards per attempt. Some of the names near the bottom aren't surprising, like Brock Osweiler and Alex Smith. Some are, like Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers. And there's Bradford.
For those explosive plays to come, Bradford will need a better offensive line, but he'll need to be more aggressive looking downfield, too.
QUARTERBACK YARDS PER ATTEMPT, 2015-2016 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Comp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg |
2016 | Matt Ryan | 236 | 346 | 68.2 | 3,247 | 9.4 |
2015 | Carson Palmer | 342 | 537 | 63.7 | 4,671 | 8.7 |
2015 | Ben Roethlisberger | 319 | 469 | 68 | 3,938 | 8.4 |
2015 | Andy Dalton | 255 | 386 | 66.1 | 3,250 | 8.4 |
2015 | Russell Wilson | 329 | 483 | 68.1 | 4,024 | 8.3 |
2016 | Dak Prescott | 231 | 340 | 67.9 | 2,835 | 8.3 |
2016 | Kirk Cousins | 299 | 437 | 68.4 | 3,540 | 8.1 |
2016 | Russell Wilson | 221 | 335 | 66 | 2,714 | 8.1 |
2015 | Tyrod Taylor | 242 | 380 | 63.7 | 3,035 | 8.0 |
2015 | Drew Brees | 428 | 627 | 68.3 | 4,870 | 7.8 |
2016 | Drew Brees | 298 | 420 | 71 | 3,277 | 7.8 |
2015 | Cam Newton | 296 | 495 | 59.8 | 3,837 | 7.8 |
2016 | Philip Rivers | 229 | 369 | 62.1 | 2,886 | 7.8 |
2016 | Marcus Mariota | 228 | 355 | 64.2 | 2,772 | 7.8 |
2015 | Kirk Cousins | 379 | 543 | 69.8 | 4,166 | 7.7 |
2016 | Andy Dalton | 233 | 360 | 64.7 | 2,760 | 7.7 |
2015 | Tom Brady | 402 | 624 | 64.4 | 4,770 | 7.6 |
2015 | Jameis Winston | 312 | 535 | 58.3 | 4,042 | 7.6 |
2015 | Jay Cutler | 311 | 483 | 64.4 | 3,659 | 7.6 |
2015 | Marcus Mariota | 230 | 370 | 62.2 | 2,818 | 7.6 |
2015 | Matt Ryan | 407 | 614 | 66.3 | 4,591 | 7.5 |
2016 | Andrew Luck | 236 | 375 | 62.9 | 2,827 | 7.5 |
2015 | Alex Smith | 307 | 470 | 65.3 | 3,486 | 7.4 |
2016 | Matthew Stafford | 261 | 391 | 66.8 | 2,883 | 7.4 |
2016 | Ben Roethlisberger | 242 | 373 | 64.9 | 2,745 | 7.4 |
2015 | Blake Bortles | 355 | 606 | 58.6 | 4,428 | 7.3 |
2016 | Derek Carr | 255 | 385 | 66.2 | 2,800 | 7.3 |
2015 | Philip Rivers | 437 | 661 | 66.1 | 4,792 | 7.2 |
2015 | Matthew Stafford | 398 | 592 | 67.2 | 4,262 | 7.2 |
2015 | Eli Manning | 387 | 618 | 62.6 | 4,432 | 7.2 |
2015 | Ryan Tannehill | 363 | 586 | 61.9 | 4,208 | 7.2 |
2015 | Teddy Bridgewater | 292 | 447 | 65.3 | 3,231 | 7.2 |
2016 | Carson Palmer | 227 | 369 | 61.5 | 2,642 | 7.2 |
2016 | Jameis Winston | 228 | 378 | 60.3 | 2,680 | 7.1 |
2015 | Brian Hoyer | 224 | 369 | 60.7 | 2,606 | 7.1 |
2015 | Derek Carr | 350 | 573 | 61.1 | 3,987 | 7.0 |
2015 | Sam Bradford | 346 | 532 | 65 | 3,725 | 7.0 |
2016 | Eli Manning | 246 | 386 | 63.7 | 2,708 | 7.0 |
2015 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 335 | 562 | 59.6 | 3,905 | 6.9 |
2016 | Sam Bradford | 248 | 348 | 71.3 | 2,415 | 6.9 |
2016 | Alex Smith | 203 | 302 | 67.2 | 2,077 | 6.9 |
2015 | Joe Flacco | 266 | 413 | 64.4 | 2,791 | 6.8 |
2015 | Aaron Rodgers | 347 | 572 | 60.7 | 3,821 | 6.7 |
2016 | Aaron Rodgers | 259 | 410 | 63.2 | 2,761 | 6.7 |
2016 | Carson Wentz | 225 | 356 | 63.2 | 2,339 | 6.6 |
2016 | Joe Flacco | 260 | 414 | 62.8 | 2,643 | 6.4 |
2016 | Blake Bortles | 250 | 415 | 60.2 | 2,623 | 6.3 |
2016 | Brock Osweiler | 216 | 363 | 59.5 | 2,061 | 5.7 |