Vikings Players to Watch vs. Lions
This week, the Vikings head to Michigan to face the winless Detroit Lions.
While the Vikings look for a victory to get back in the playoff chase, it has been another miserable season in Detroit as first-year head coach Dan Campbell is still yet to taste victory with his Lions team. There is absolutely no viable reason for that first victory to come this week. If it did, it would be a devastating blow that signals the beginning of the end for Mike Zimmer.
So, it’s time for me to pick out some Vikings players to watch once again. Here are the guys I think will have noteworthy or under-the-radar performances in this week’s matchup.
Justin Jefferson
The Vikings lost last week, so cue media nonsense about Justin Jefferson being at “breaking point” with Kirk Cousins. Photos and video clips of a disappointed-looking Jefferson made the rounds – as if he is supposed to look happy when his team loses and do the Griddy up the sideline when he has an incomplete pass.
This type of talk seems to always result in a big game for Jefferson, so expect one this week. In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Jefferson racked up 104 receiving yards in the first half, only to be targeted only twice in the second half.
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The Vikings have been doing a better job staying aggressive on offense since the Week 5 meeting with the Lions. And with Jefferson hungry for a big game, here’s a bold prediction — he will push towards the 200 receiving yards mark this week.
Kene Nwangwu
It will be Alexander Mattison as the lead back who will likely see 20+ touches. But with Dalvin Cook out, I’m excited to see what Klint Kubiak does with Kene Nwangwu.
On the back of his second kick return touchdown — something he achieved in fewer games than anyone ever has — besting two former Vikings players in the process, there is understandable excitement surrounding the rookie running back.
He should get the relief touches that Mattison usually gets, which might only be three to five touches. Yet, a player like Nwangwu could do a lot of damage with just three to five touches.
Klint Kubiak needs to call the right plays for him, though. It will be no good asking him to run up the inside three or four times. That’s not his game. Kubiak needs to call plays that give him the chance to use his speed to get to the edge, whether that’s runs, sweeps, or passes.
Just give the man a chance to fly.
Sheldon Richardson
With the news that Dalvin Tomlinson and Michael Pierce are back in the picture, the experiment of using Sheldon Richardson as a defensive end can continue.
Now with a full-strength interior and the absence of the team’s leading defensive ends (Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen), Mike Zimmer and Andre Patterson need to get creative. With a severe lack of experience at the position, they turned to the veteran, Sheldon Richardson, who is known as a pass-rushing defensive tackle.
It has gone reasonably well so far. And if he can be a solid performer in the position for the remainder of the season, it would be a considerable boost and take the pressure off the likes of young Vikings players Kenny Willekes and Patrick Jones.
Jared Goff is one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league, taking 27 sacks in just 10 games played this season. Stopping the run and forcing the Lions to put the ball in Goff’s hands is the key to victory. I anticipate more sacks for Goff this Sunday, with Richardson getting in on the act.
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