Vikings at Jaguars | Key Personnel Battles
In Week 10, the Minnesota Vikings travel to Jacksonville in search of win number seven. The Vikings are heavy favorites against a struggling Jaguars team that looks set to be without its starting quarterback.
Vikings at Jaguars | Key Personnel Battles
Trevor Lawrence has an injury to his left shoulder, and the media is saying he won’t play this week. Lawrence is said to be assessing his options, with surgery being one of them. Lawrence’s status will make a big difference, with Mac Jones set to deputize, but there are other key personnel battles to look at.
Cam Robinson & Brian O’Neill
vs.
Josh Hines-Allen & Travon Walker
Cam Robinson made his Vikings debut last week, just days after being traded to Minnesota by Jacksonville. In his second game as a Viking, he returns to Florida to face his old team.
That puts the left tackle primarily up against Josh Hines-Allen, who has developed into one of the best edge defenders in the league over the last couple of seasons. This year Hines-Allen has 37 pressures, 5 sacks, 25 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 pass deflections, and 1 fumble recovery. His overall grade from Pro Football Focus of 87.5 is the 10th best in the league. Jacksonville’s defense has not been good this season, but they have two talented edge rushers.
The other edge rusher is the 2022 first-overall pick, Travon Walker. He hasn’t set the NFL on fire to the same degree as Aiden Hutchinson, the man taken directly after him, but he is proving to be a good player in his own right. So far this season, Walker has 31 pressures, 6.5 sacks, 33 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 1 pass deflection, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Veteran right tackle Brian O’Neill will mostly be tasked with stopping Walker. O’Neill is enjoying an excellent season himself, and if he and Robinsom can keep the Jacksonville edge rushers at bay, it should be a very good day for the Vikings offense.
Stephon Gilmore
vs.
Brian Thomas Jr.
Signed on the eve of the season, 34-year-old Stephon Gilmore was brought to Minnesota to be the CB who matches up against the opposition’s best WR. Gilmore isn’t the player he was when receiving first-team All-Pro honors in 2018 and 2019. However, his experience has improved the Vikings CB room from where it has been the last couple of seasons.
The Jags’ best WR is at the opposite end of his career. Brian Thomas has made a good start to his rookie season with 35 catches for 595 yards and five touchdowns. With Christian Kirk injured, the Jags will need to lean heavily on the rookie in the passing game if they are going to have any success.
Harrison Phillips
vs.
Mitch Morse
Harrison Phillips had one of his most dominant games as a Vikings against the Colts. He controlled opposing C Ryan Kelly all game, which was a huge part of the reason the Vikings kept Jonathan Taylor and the Colts’ rushing attack quiet. Indianapolis only managed 68 yards on 19 carries in the game when that was supposed to be the strength of the offense. It’s a similar story for Jacksonville, where Lawrence is expected to be absent.
The Jags offense will run through the RB duo of Tank Bigsby and Trevor Ettiene — assuming both are healthy. The battle for the run game starts with the nose tackle and the center. The Jags have 10-year veteran Mitch Morse at center this season. Morse is still a solid player, but Phillips, at his best, should be able to be dominant in this matchup.
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