Nov 28, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end D.J. Wonnum (98) celebrates after a sack against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports.
It wasn’t the prettiest game you will ever see, but the Vikings got the victory they required to move into the seventh seed of the NFC playoffs.
Playoff hopes remain alive. However, they appear tenuous — partly due to the unconvincing nature of the latest victory but also because of the teams on the schedule for the next two weeks. A home game against the Los Angeles Rams followed by a trip to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers are up next.
Two of the strongest teams in the NFC who will definitely be in the playoffs await. One of them has to be beaten – at least. First up, it is a familiar face, as Mattew Stafford comes to town with his Rams team — a more formidable outfit than the Detroit Lions team he’s visited with for the past 12 years. The Rams will pose the Vikings problems on both sides of the ball, so here are my choices for Vikings players to watch.
The Minnesota Vikings trying to convert tackles into guards has been a long-standing bugbear. I don’t think it works, but I’m currently being proven wrong. Ezra Cleveland keeps getting better and has locked down the left guard position on the Vikings offensive line for the foreseeable. Replacing the terrible Dru Samia at right guard last season, Cleveland just being serviceable was a delight to Vikings fans. This year he was switched to what was seen as his more natural side – he played left tackle in college.
He is getting better with every game, and on Monday night, when the rest of the offensive line struggled, he was solid once again. It appeared Kirk Cousins was under pressure from all angles, but it wasn’t coming from Ezra Cleveland’s direction. The guard gave up zero pressures against the Bears and was given a pass-blocking grade of 87.6 from Pro Football Focus. His overall grade from PFF was a team-high 88.5. He hasn’t given up a sack since Week 1. With a certain Aaron Donald lining up on the other side, Cleveland and his teammates Garrett Bradbury and likely the returning Oli Udoh need a big performance.
I considered Kene Nwangwu before the news of star running back Dalvin Cook being put on the Covid-19/reserve list. That news, and the confirmation by offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak that he will miss this Sunday’s games, makes the choice of Nwangwu a no-brainer for me.
Alexander Mattison will be back and take the lead role. Nwangwu isn’t ready for that yet. However, it is time to see more extensive involvement. Against Chicago, he had three rushes for 33 yards, his most impressive outing on offense to date. I would like to see a slight increase in touches, around five or six would be ideal. Then, there are his kick returns.
When you play against good teams, you need to find any edge you can get. One place you can find one is on special teams, where another 90-yard return touchdown would be ideal. Although just some good returns to gain a good starting field position would be good too. Explosive plays will be needed on Sunday. Nwangwu is one of the best sources the Vikings have to find one.
The emergence of DJ Wonnum in recent weeks has been a highlight and certainly makes him a Vikings player to watch. He has shown flashes in the past and especially since the loss of Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen. The Vikings have needed someone to step up and lead the charge when it comes to pass rushing. With his first multi-sack game on Monday night against the Bears, DJ Wonnum stepped up. He now has five sacks in his last four games after only getting one sack in the first 10.
The Vikings sacked Matthew Stafford for fun during his tenure in Detroit. Can they repeat that this week now he’s with the Rams? They’ll need to. The Rams have the receiving yards leader in Cooper Kupp. Slowing him down will be key to victory.
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