Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2016 6:30:10 GMT -6
Film Room: Akiem Hicks destroyed the Vikings offensive line
By: Lorin Cox | 23 hours ago
The Chicago Bears’ defense dominated the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8, as one of the league’s worst offensive lines was dismantled at the hands of Vic Fangio’s unit.
Leading the way for the Bears’ front seven was defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, who sacked quarterback Sam Bradford twice, registered four other QB hurries according to Pro Football Focus and made a number of key stuffs in run defense.
It was a nice boost for Hicks, who has really stood out as a consistent threat on an inconsistent defensive line. His game against the Vikings was the most striking example of this, as he came out energized and hungry for the ball-carrier.
In the first quarter, Minnesota decided to run inside zone in Hicks’ direction with right tackle T.J. Clemmings trying to block him, and it did not go well for running back Ronnie Hillman.
Chicago Bears' defensive lineman Akiem Hicks made a handful of big stops against the run against the Minnesota Vikings (GIF via NFL Game Pass).
Not only did Hicks stack and shed Clemmings completely across his leverage to force the cutback by the runner, he also showed off his impressive speed for a 336-pound lineman to chase down Hillman and suplex him to the ground.
Hicks’ bigger impact came as a pass rusher, mainly because the Vikings abandoned their running game after repeatedly failing to gain yards on the ground. All four of his quarterback pressures came very quickly as he had his way with Minnesota’s struggling offensive line.
Hicks picked up a pair of sacks, but his four quarterback hurries played an important role on top of it (GIF via NFL Game Pass).
He caught right guard Brandon Fusco flat-footed as he executed a rip move to the outside to quickly cast away his blocker, giving Hicks a free-run to the quarterback before Bradford had even finished his dropback.
Hicks almost had a third sack on this play, but the Vikings’ QB deserves credit for stepping up to avoid another big loss. Still, he was clearly disrupted by the pressure as he fired an awkard pass to his running back, who couldn’t hang on.
Even Minnesota’s best blocker, center Joe Berger, had trouble with the freakish defensive lineman in pass protection.
The Vikings had no answers for Hicks' pass-rush, as he seemed to beat every Minnesota offensive lineman (GIF via NFL Game Pass).
Working from the nose tackle position, Hicks drove Berger six yards into the backfield as he worked across his face to separate and bring down Bradford on a critical third down near the goal line, holding the Vikings to a field goal at the end of a 15-play drive.
It didn’t take a stunt or a blitz. It was just a beastly defensive lineman beating a quality center one-on-one in pass protection as the Vikings had no answers on their offensive line.
Hicks’ play really opened everything up for the rest of the Bears’ pass-rushers in a dominating performance. Chicago needs more games like this from their top defensive lineman.
