Matt Asiata Carving out Impactful Niche in Vikings Offense

On the back of a three-touchdown performance in a Minnesota Vikings win, Matt Asiata’s niche has become more defined in a Vikings offense that has searched for its identity ever since losing Adrian Peterson.

Asiata was initially shuffled into the starting lineup and into the primary role at the running back position back in September. The feel-good story of the undrafted free agent who worked his way to such a prominent role was quickly soured by the realization that he wasn’t quite cut out for it.

In his first two starts, he averaged 2.8 yards per carry, even worse than his season average of 3.8. He looked sluggish as a rusher, often failing to maximize yardage from well-blocked holes. He offered very little upside on individual carries, having still not had a carry of longer than 12 yards this season.

Once the coaching staff felt comfortable with rookie Jerick McKinnon in an increased role, he was ushered into the starting job, taking a big share of Asiata’s snaps. Credit Asiata for taking the demotion in stride. After McKinnon was vaulted into the primary role and succeeded in it, Asiata remained an impactful player.

Mike Zimmer complimented his mindset after Sunday’s game, via Derek Wetmore of 1500 ESPN:

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Zimmer on Asiata: "He had the opportunity to kind of go in a different direction when McKinnon started getting a lot more carries..." 1of2

— Derek Wetmore (@DerekWetmore) November 2, 2014"

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"...But he did what he's supposed to do. He's a great team player. I love having him here." -- Mike Zimmer on Matt Asiata. 2of2

— Derek Wetmore (@DerekWetmore) November 2, 2014"

Zimmer and the coaching staff have developed an appreciation for Asiata beyond his work ethic and willingness to do what’s asked of him.

With all his limitations, Asiata is still the best the Vikings have in terms of reps in obvious passing situations. For one, he is a sturdy pass-blocker. He gives Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings a viable blocker who can be relied on to pick up blitzes and hold his ground in a way that McKinnon cannot match at the moment.

Asiata adds more value in the passing game as a receiver. Despite his lack of explosive athletic ability in space, he remains a reliable target whom Bridgewater has achieved better results throwing to than McKinnon.

The rookie quarterback has a penchant for checking the ball down as coverage sinks, and Asiata has been the recipient on a number of third-down conversions this year as a receiver.

That impact shows in expected points added, a measure of how many expected points are added as the result of any single play, calculated by myself from Pro-Football-Reference data. These numbers indicate what kind of value Asiata and McKinnon have had as offensive options through the first eight weeks.

	Rushes	Receptions	Targets
Asiata	-0.08	0.44	-0.04
McKinnon	0.04	0.11	-0.21

With four catches for 31 yards in Week 9, one of those being a 3rd-and-10 conversion, Asiata will have furthered the gap with McKinnon as a target through the air.

So despite relinquishing the majority of his carries to McKinnon, Asiata has retained a valuable role through the passing game. As a rusher, his role has become more nuanced in a way that maximizes what Minnesota gets out of him.

Asiata’s Week 9 performance hits the radar because of his three touchdowns on the ground. He was the hammer to the nail after Minnesota’s offense was able to sustain long drives. Football Perspective provides a surprising statistic related to Asiata’s hat trick:

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Since the start of the 2013 season, Matt Asiata has three games with at least 3 rushing TDs. No other player has more than one.

— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) November 2, 2014"

While the amount of three-touchdown games isn’t the end-all measure for running backs, Asiata standing above all others is interesting. In fact, all of Asiata’s career rushing touchdowns have come in three-touchdown performances. When it rains, it pours.

Asiata also plunged a two-point attempt into the end zone in the fourth quarter, further highlighting his role as an effective short-yardage back.

He has a nose for the end zone in a way that is actually identifiable. On his second touchdown run, Asiata hit the afterburners after getting through the hole, diving across the goal line to convert. Finding another run where he hit that kind of speed from this season is a difficult task.

The scheme helps him too. Zone blocking allows him to make one cut and barrel his way to the destination, not asking him to dial it down and follow a lead block. Once Asiata slows down, he struggles to rev it back up, so zone running produces results in the red zone.

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On the final touchdown, he showed the awareness to reach the ball across the goal line as a last-ditch effort, just breaking the plane to convert.

Asiata’s big day provides a glimpse into the optimal usage of both him and McKinnon. While the rookie has more down-to-down ability as a running back, Asiata complements him as a third-down back who can also be effective in short yardage, especially in goal-to-go situations.

The constant player turnover on the offense was always going to mean an experimentation period had to take place before roles were sorted out. That was especially true with the loss of Peterson, the back the entire offense was supposed to be built around.

Norv Turner and the offensive coaching staff have now reached a point where Asiata and McKinnon have more defined roles that maximize their talents. Credit the coaching staff for making constant tweaks to find this optimal split, and credit Asiata for the consistency and reliability he brings to the table. The Vikings’ running game and entire offense is better for it.

Statistics via ESPN.com unless noted otherwise.