Vikings Defense Is Built to Bottle Up the Falcons
Growing Pains is more than a popular TV show from the 1980s. It is a term we’re going to hear quite a bit this year as Kevin O’Connell has heart-to-heart talks with his young quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, when he makes mistakes.
He had some of those on Monday night in Chicago when McCarthy struggled for three quarters of the game. His premiere couldn’t have started more marred by mistakes and looks of panic until the 4th quarter rolled around, and McCarthy looked at the guys in his huddle and asked, “Is there anywhere else you’d rather be?”
The Vikings’ defense is showing signs it can handle Atlanta’s attack. From Flores’ schemes to rising playmakers, here’s why that will be the case on SNF.
It could be a saying that will someday become a part of legend in his legacy should he ascend to great heights in the NFL.
Vikings Defense Will Frustrate ATL
You can expect more of this on Sunday night against the Falcons with McCarthy’s second start of the season. Most of it will center around him having his first year as a starter, but there will be an added narrative as he and his fiancée welcomed their first child this week.
The chance that he figured everything out in a quarter of football is just not realistic. Add in that left tackle Christian Darrisaw will miss another game due to his knee recovery. Justin Skule also struggled in the Bears game, but got settled down in the second half. Hopefully, playing at home with less crowd noise will get him on track early.
It will be up to the defense to once again keep the Vikings in this game. This may be the narrative for most of the season as the young quarterback comes along.
First off, there are some very concerning injuries on the defensive side of the ball, with linebackers Blake Cashman put on injured reserve and Andrew Van Ginkel ruled out due to being in the concussion protocol.
Cornerback Jeff Okudah will be sitting next to “The Gink” in the same boat, ruling him out per Coach O’Connell. In his weekly presser, O’Connell said that Dwight McGlothern and Dallas Turner will have their chances to step up and that another cornerback will be brought up from the practice squad.
With Cashman out, Eric Wilson will continue to man the middle of the defense, as he did splendidly Monday night. Wilson is the perfect example of why you bring in a veteran who can be just as good at a position. Whether Harrison Smith plays or not is still to be determined, but it seems a bit more hopeful than last week.
Finally, let’s add Isaiah Rodgers, who has an elbow injury, and a team that was relatively healthy coming out of camp is now very battered and bruised.
Next Man (Men) Up
The defense won’t be vastly changed, but enough so that specific threats will be off the field. Van Ginkel’s ability to read and defend short passes is a factor removed from the game unless Turner has picked up that same skill. What Turner does bring is a faster pass rush off the edge, and he will be matched up mainly against Elijah Wilkinson, whose pass blocking grade isn’t as eye-popping as his run blocking grades on PFF.
While Turner may be able to take advantage on passing downs, he will have to show that he can hold up at the point of attack on running plays. Turner’s tape is limited, and we saw times last year where he forgot to hold the outside containment on run plays, leaving other linebackers and defensive backs out to dry. Without Van Ginkel to spell him, Turner will have a chance to have a signature game, a prospect some fans are already predicting.
He and Johnathan Greenard will switch sides at times, and he may actually play more at right edge since Falcons quarterback Michael Penix is left-handed.
Will this also be an opportunity for McGlothern to shine? The possibility exists that he can make an impact in this game. He boasts two strong training camps and preseasons on his resume, making him a fan favorite to make a real impact on the team. Last season, he debuted in week 14 against the same team – the Falcons. His lone stat is a pass defense in week 15.
There’s less for us to go on here, and it’s more on the “hope” scale. Since most defenses use three cornerbacks regularly, McGlothern will get plenty of time with the starters and is one injury away from being one. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, or the team’s strategy of only having four corners on the roster is going to get exposed really fast.
Theo Jackson and Jay Ward performed well alongside Josh Mettellus at safety last week. However, I believe the defensive backs will benefit more with Smith’s return, given his knowledge and veteran presence, particularly in light of the cornerbacks’ situation.
The Flores Factor
As I mentioned earlier, the offense will still need to grow week by week. Don’t be surprised if the defense gets a turnover and the offense struggles to do something positive with it. We’ve seen it before with better Vikings’ offenses.
The defense is mostly established from last year, and the drop off from the players that are out is currently seen as even or minimal. When asked to guess the score for this game, I’m saying that the Vikings will win it 30-15. That seems like a potent offensive game and contradicts my statement. Here’s the rub: Penix has played against some good defenses, but never against a Brian Flores-led defense that can mask coverage and cause confusion for young quarterbacks.
Last year, Kirk Cousins was the starter against whom the defense had two picks and one fumble. Last week, Tampa Bay won in a back-and-forth game with the Falcons, but their overall yardage was only 260 yards. With a big punt return and a failed 4th down conversion, the Buccaneers played with relatively short field position, allowing Baker Mayfield to throw for three touchdowns. The Falcons had 289 passing yards with two touchdowns, but had to settle for field goals, including the possible game-tying score at the end of the game.
That scenario was only possible because the Buccaneers missed an extra point. The Vikings’ defense is better than the Bucs and will either put the offense in a better position to score or will have some of their own scores off turnovers. They will have to do a better job of containing Penix than they did scrambling Caleb Williams, but in the end, they will get to Penix more often, causing a few turnovers.
Also, the Falcons struggled to run last week with only 69 total rushing yards. Should that continue to be a festering wound for them, they will become one-dimensional quickly in this contest. Yes, the Falcons have some weapons on offense that should not be taken lightly. However, the Vikings’ defense should limit the ability to get them the ball.
One last element to add for this game is the atmosphere that will be pouring out of the stands at the beginning of the game. KFAN’s Paul Allen recently announced on his show that the Vikings offense will be revealed during the team runout.
No matter where they put him in the announcement order, US Bank is going to shake when Adam Thielen makes his return home, and the Richter Scale may go off when Alan Roach heralds McCarthy’s entrance. Add in the celebration of Jared Allen’s Hall of Fame induction, and you have a recipe for a raucous crowd.
If the team plays on the positive side, allowing the fans to keep their voices loud, Atlanta will be drowned by a sea of cheers and tackles.
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