Vikings Week 6 Preview: Offensive Match Up
The Vikings are entering Week 6 off a narrow loss to Denver, the bye week and a 2-2 record. While the Chiefs have only a single win under their belt and are missing star running back Jamaal Charles, they’re not a team for which Minnesota should let its guard down. Alex Smith is a proven quarterback, and the Chiefs finished the 2014 season with a respectable 9-7 record. And worth mentioning, Minnesota will be fighting against the bye week slump. The Vikings have played miserably in the post-bye game for the past five seasons, and this year they absolutely cannot afford a loss to Kansas City.
Former Vikings head coach Brad Childress will be making his return to Minneapolis, as he currently works for the Chiefs as their “spread game analysis/special projects coach”—how’s that for a mouthful? How will Childress’ current squad fare against his former? Let’s take a look at the offensive match up.
Offensive Line
The Broncos’ top-rated defense worked over T.J. Clemmings in Week 4, and it will be interesting to see how the rookie rebounds this week. Granted, the Chiefs’ defense ranks only No. 26 in the league, but they do have powerful linebacker Justin Houston in their arsenal. Houston finished the 2014 season with 59 tackles, and he already has 18 in the books this year. He has an uncanny ability to get to the quarterback and will most likely be the offensive line’s biggest focus on Sunday.
Matt Kalil impressed throughout the Vikings’ first three games, but he looked less confident against Denver. Hopefully for Minnesota, Kali will continue effectively blocking this week if he lines up opposite Tamba Hali. Although Hali isn’t quite the same caliber as Houston, the veteran has 10 tackles and a sack on the year and could leave Kalil with his hands full. According to Friday’s injury report, however, Hali is listed as “questionable” with a knee injury.
Adrian Peterson ran for “only” 81 yards against Denver (after 134 and 126 yards the previous two weeks), and a big part of that is the line’s blocking. If the O-line doesn’t step it up both in protection of Teddy Bridgewater and to create some holes for Peterson in the rushing game, Minnesota’s offense could once again struggle to get moving Sunday.
Passing
Once again, we are approaching a game wondering what type of downfield threat Bridgewater will pose against his opponents. The second-year quarterback did have a few nice passes in Denver, though, despite getting plenty of pressure from the defense and being sacked seven times. Bridgewater received a rating of 92.4, finishing with 27-of-41 passing for 269 yards. He looked good overall, and with a week to rest, I’m hoping that Bridgewater will finally find that spark Vikings fans have been waiting for.
If there’s a week for Bridgewater to break out, it’s this one. The Chiefs’ passing defense ranks dead last in receiving yards allowed (228.6) and catches per game (17.2). According to Craig Peters of Vikings.com, Bridgewater aims to complete 70 percent of his passes this season; Week 6 will be the opportunity for him to get started on that.
If Mike Wallace plays Sunday, which it appears he will, I expect him to pick up where he left off with Bridgewater prior to the bye week. It will also be interesting to see if Stefon Diggs plays, as he definitely had a connection with Bridgewater in his season debut in Denver.
Hopefully the offensive line will offer Bridgewater solid protection, but either way he will need to make quick decisions in the pocket, as Houston and Hali are both major threats to the quarterback. In 2014, Houston led the NFL with 22 sacks; Hali had six.
Rushing
Coming off the bye week, Peterson ranks No. 8 in the NFL for rushing yards with 372. Devonta Freeman leads the league with 505. After two great performances during Weeks 2 and 3, Peterson met plenty of resistance in Denver and couldn’t find much room to run.
One thing I’ve noticed this season so far is that Peterson’s numbers almost give a false impression of his running success in games. Before you give me flack, let me explain: on more than one occasion, AP has been able to find a hole and run for a pretty large number of yards. Am I complaining about those plays? Absolutely not. There’s nothing better than seeing Peterson slip through a split-second opening and rumble up the field.
What does need to happen, however, is better blocking for Peterson so that he can get chunks of yards more consistently rather than getting clogged up trying to run the middle.
Kansas City’s rushing defense ranks much higher (No. 13) than its passing defense, so it won’t be a cakewalk for Peterson to run against; however, after a tough week in Denver and then having extra time to rest, I expected him to record over 100 yards Sunday.
Receiving
Wallace (knee) and Charles Johnson (ribs) both participated in limited practice yesterday. While it remains unsure how much they’ll be utilized, Zimmer said Thursday that he expects all his receivers to play Sunday, and he did not rule out the option of leaving all six active.
With Johnson sidelined Week 4, Diggs got a chance to make his case. He did made leave quite an impression, recording 87 yards off six receptions. Even Adam Thielen got some snaps in addition to his typical special teams role, also finishing with six receptions (70 yards).
As stated earlier, the Chiefs have a pretty terrible passing defense, and they have only grabbed two interceptions so far this season. Sunday would be a great opportunity for Norv Turner to take a few more chances with the offense and stretch the field with a variety of receivers.
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While the Vikings’ track record of post-bye weeks makes me nervous, Minnesota should definitely hold the upper hand heading into Sunday’s home game against the 1-4 Chiefs. Considering Kansas City’s shaky defense and the absence of Charles on offense, the Vikings are the favored team and should come out of Week 6 with a 3-2 record.
Prediction: Vikings 31, Chiefs 17