In 2023, the Minnesota Vikings must unleash Cam Akers.
Cam Akers of the Minnesota Vikings deserves more touches in the future.
Alexander Mattison has been a huge disappointment as the Minnesota Vikings’ primary running back, therefore it’s time for the team to give Cam Akers a bigger role in the offense.
The Minnesota Vikings made a low-risk transaction with the Los Angeles Rams a few weeks ago to obtain disgruntled running back Cam Akers.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell worked with Akers during their time together with the Rams in 2020 and 2021, so Minnesota expected the running back to have an easy transition.
So far, Akers has been extremely efficient almost every time he’s got the opportunity to make a play with the football in his hands. He’s averaging 5.7 yards per rushing attempt, has a 63.6 carry success rate, and has caught all five of his receiving targets (100 percent catch rate).
Yes, this is a small sample size, but as compared to fellow Vikings running back Alexander Mattison, Minnesota’s offense has fared far better when Akers is on the field.
Mattison has only averaged 3.9 yards per carry in six games this season, has a 46.3 percent success rate on rushing attempts, and has only caught 64.3 percent of his 28 receiving targets.
Akers has been with the Vikings for roughly a month, and it’s time for the team to offer him more than the 5.3 touches he’s had in three games this season.
Cam Akers might benefit from more touches in the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive backfield in Week 7 versus the San Francisco 49ers.
The Vikings’ Week 7 game against the San Francisco 49ers is an ideal opportunity to get Akers more engaged in the offense. The 24-year-old running back is expected to be more familiar with the 49ers’ defense, having faced them five times during his stint with the Rams.
O’Connell stated repeatedly this offseason that he wanted Minnesota’s rushing assault to be more efficient in 2023, and the data now show that this has a better chance of happening with Akers on the field instead of Mattison.
Instead of attempting to convince themselves that Mattison is a true No. 1 rushing back in the NFL, the Vikings should just face the music and acknowledge they were mistaken about the veteran running back.
Making mistakes is entirely acceptable in the NFL; they are unavoidable. But, at the very least, Minnesota can immediately make amends by making Akers a bigger component of their attack heading forward.
