Cellar-Dwelling Minnesota Vikings Have Chance For Redemption Against Packers

The Vikings have made a major statement with their first six games of the season. They are one of the NFL’s prime disappointments and the chances for a turnaround are limited.

They played a notable game in Week 5 when they went to Seattle and did everything but beat the Seahawks in a heartbreaking 27-26 defeat. That was by far their best game of the season, as they played with more consistency, emotion and strength than they did in their lone win against the Houston Texans.

The Vikings are capable of playing a good game – at least on occasion – and they return to competition after their bye week with a road game Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

This would be a good time to show a pulse, because the Vikings have fallen apart in their last three games against their archrivals. The defense was cut to ribbons in the season opener by Aaron Rodgers as the Packers lit up the scoreboard in a 43-34 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium. The only reason the score was that close was the result of a late rush in the fourth quarter after the game was already out of reach.

That game was a strong indicator of how the first six games of the season would be played. The defense has fallen on hard times, and the pass defense has been especially vulnerable.

The Vikings were also beaten badly by the Packers in both meetings in 2019. They have failed to compete in any meaningful way against Green Bay, and it seems that the sight of the Packers is enough to send the Vikings into a tailspin.

That was also the case in their playoff loss a year ago to the San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings regularly lose whatever competitive instinctive they have in games against the better teams in the league.

The exception this year was the last-second loss to the Seahawks, and the Vikings have to find a way to match that effort against the Packers if they are going to avoid embarrassment.

The burden will be on the offense to maintain possession and keep the ball out of Rodgers’ hands as long as possible. The Vikings also have to show quite a bit more on defense than they did in the opener. Not only from a production point of view – they gave up 522 yards and the Packers held the ball for 41:16 – but the Vikings must play with some kind of physical edge and show that their opponents will simply not have another walk in the park.

That won’t be easy because Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter (neck) is out for the season and Yannick Ngaouke has been traded. The Vikings will be counting on Ifeadi Odenigbo, Shamar Stephen, Jalyn Holmes, and DJ Wonnum to find a way to both pressure Rodgers and slow down the Green Bay running attack. While that is a tall order considering the Vikings have been unable to slow down lesser opponents, it is a must in this game.

The Minnesota secondary is simply too vulnerable to slow down Davante Adams and the other Green Bay receivers at this point. Rookie cornerback Cameron Dantzler has been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, and he had been starting. Fellow rookie Jeff Gladney is also starting but he is not effective at slowing down the passing game or stopping big plays at this point. If the pass rush does not have an impact, it could be a long afternoon for the Vikings.

Rookie wideout Justin Jefferson has been the bright spot for the team this season. He has caught 28 passes for a team-leading 537 yards along with three touchdowns. He also has a team-high 181 yards after the catch and he is living up to the talent level he showed as a college star at Louisiana State last year. Nearly all of his production has come in the last four games when he has averaged 116 receiving yards, and if he continues to develop, he has a legitimate chance to win offensive rookie of the year honors.

The return of Dalvin Cook (groin) is likely for this game, and he has been a dominant offensive factor this year when healthy. Cook has 489 rushing yards in five games, and he must be at his best here for the Vikings to keep this game respectable.

The chances of the team rallying and putting together a solid finish are slim, but a winning effort against Green Bay would something for the team to build on with games against division rivals Detroit and Chicago coming up.