The New York Jets last week went to the ultimate ground-and-pound offense against the Dolphins, running 49 run plays and just 13 pass plays.
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In doing so, the Jets were able to average 8 yards per carry against the Dolphins D.
We might expect a similar game plan against a Vikings defense that has been weak vs. the run all season and especially so the last few weeks.
The Vikings are 27th against the run according to Football Outsiders defensive rankings, but they rank 11th against the pass.
The Vikes have been punished on the ground in recent games, giving up 125 to Eddie Lacy two weeks ago and 85 to Jonathan Stewart on just 12 carries last week.
Despite their highly effective rushing attack vs. the Dolphins, the Jets were ultimately unable to win the game. You would expect New York to try and find a little more balance in their game plan after allowing Geno Smith to throw just 13 times all game vs. Miami.
Then again, if the Jets do come out and run the ball effectively, they could elect to just stick with the ground game. Either way, the Vikings will have to be ready.
Minnesota has struggled in recent weeks both in tackling and gap control. Their run defense should be helped by the return of Sharrif Floyd who was out for the Green Bay game and limited to third down duty in his one half of play vs. Carolina.
Players who need to be on notice for the Vikings’ D this week include Brian Robison, Chad Greenway and Jasper Brinkley. When teams have run the ball well, those guys have missed a lot of tackles.
The Vikings must be stout against the run and force the Jets to put the ball in the air. If they can do that, they can force the oft-confused Geno Smith into multiple turnovers.