Minnesota Vikings vs Kansas City Chiefs: 5 keys to victory

The Minnesota Vikings are scheduled to take on the Kansas City Chiefs live from TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 18, 2015. This should be a hard-fought game, with two of the most interesting and dynamic defensive front sevens in the NFL trying to prove that they’re the real deal.

However, both teams are spinning their wheels a little right now. The Minnesota Vikings are sitting at 2-2 following their bye week and have fallen a considerable distance behind the 5-0 Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs are 1-4 and dealing with the loss of superstar running back Jamaal Charles for the season.

So, what will the Minnesota Vikings have to do to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs? Here are my five keys to victory for that game:

Aug 28, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Charcandrick West (35) runs the ball during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Figure out who Charcandrick West is. It’s likely that you’ve never heard of him. And that’s okay. However, the Minnesota Vikings will have to get a bead on who he is and what kind of running back he can be early if they hope to contain him. The scary part of a veteran player going down is when the backups are complete wild cards and you don’t know what to expect.

Keep tabs on Justin Houston. Seriously, that man is a monster. His numbers might appear to be down this year, but make no mistake that he’s an impact player on defense that can be a game changer. Minnesota struggles picking up the blitz with backs and tight ends, so Houston could present a huge mismatch that the Vikings will have to play close attention to.

Oct 4, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) runs for a touchdown during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Establish a running game early with Adrian Peterson. Being able to get the former MVP going should be the top priority for the Minnesota Vikings. Not only does that open up the run game and keep the defense honest, but it helps to control the time of possession and the field position battle while opening up a struggling passing game.

Give Teddy Bridgewater time. The young QB should be able to pick apart a Kansas City defense that has given up the most passing touchdowns so far this season (13) and have only registered two interceptions on the season. The flip side of that coin is that the Chiefs are only allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 60.7% of their passes (9th in the league), but are giving up an average quarterback rating of 102.3 (27th in the NFL). They’re an enigma that Minnesota will have to figure out, as they have faced some of the best quarterbacks (Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Andy Dalton) as well as some disappointments (Brian Hoyer and Jay Cutler) so far this season.

Sep 27, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer in the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Execute the plan that was put into place during the bye week. The Minnesota Vikings haven’t won a game after a bye week in 5 years. Even worse, in that time span those bye week games were lost by an average of 19.6 points per game. I’m all for having traditions for the Vikings, but getting absolutely crushed following a bye week isn’t one that I’d enjoy very much. Mike Zimmer and that coaching staff will need to work hard to execute the game plan that they have had two weeks to put together. Fingers crossed.

Those are my five keys to success for the Minnesota Vikings this weekend when they face off against the Kansas City Chiefs. Are there any keys that you would add? Disagree with some of mine? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2015 Game By Game Previews

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