Do the Packers Have a WR for Stephon Gilmore?
The Minnesota Vikings had many question marks in the secondary during the offseason. They lost promising rookie Kyree Jackson to tragedy and Mekhi Blackmon to injury.
Do the Packers Have a WR for Stephon Gilmore?
Brian Flores would have a pretty thin group looking to keep opposing quarterbacks in check. Then Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed Stephon Gilmore.
Through the first three weeks of the season, Stephon Gilmore has been every bit the shutdown cornerback that he has been known to be over the course of his career. Either not being targeted at all or making opposing quarterbacks look silly for challenging him, the Vikings defender keeps winning.
Last week Gilmore made Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins look pedestrian. C.J. Stroud had only Stefon Diggs to look at, which often led to him picking himself up off the turf. This week, Gilmore will face a Green Bay Packers offense that doesn’t present a significant challenge in any wide receiver positions.
For the past few years, the Packers have brought in a bunch of random wide receivers. Once Davante Adams left for Las Vegas, the team ceased to employ a serious go-to threat. That remains the case in 2024. Jayden Reed leads the team with ten receptions, and Romeo Doubs has eight of his own. Neither of those pairings strikes real fear in any opposing defense, however.
Christian Watson has been a drop master to this point in his career, and Dontayvion Wicks isn’t moving the needle either. Having Gilmore capable of picking his poison and shutting down that player leaves a favorable situation for both Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaq Griffin.
Realistically, the Minnesota Vikings’ defense has been among the best in the NFL to this point. Plenty of that gets attributed to the sack totals, but those are a byproduct of the downfield coverage. Jordan Love could return at less than 100% health, and having to face a secondary that takes away his lackluster pass-catching options is not ideal.
The Vikings have seen better wideouts in each of their three previous games this season. The Packers don’t employ a Malik Nabers, Deebo Samuel, or anything the Texans bring to the table. The secondary should be excited about the ability to lock in.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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