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Five Keys to Victory: Minnesota Vikings vs Buccaneers in Week 3

By Adam Carlson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 15: Stefon Diggs #14 of the Minnesota Vikings and Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shake hands after the preseason game on August 15, 2015 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Buccaneers 26-16. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 15: Stefon Diggs #14 of the Minnesota Vikings and Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shake hands after the preseason game on August 15, 2015 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Buccaneers 26-16. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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#1. Mike Check

It’s no surprise that the biggest concern for the Vikings defense should be Tampa Bay wide receiver, Mike Evans. The 6’5″ target will be looked at often by quarterback Jameis Winston and is a nightmare for most defenses.

That’s where Xavier Rhodes comes in for Minnesota. Paid to be their shutdown guy, Rhodes did an excellent job against Antonio Brown in Week 2 and Michael Thomas in Week 1, but neither of them offers the same challenges that Evans does.

Not only does focusing on taking away Evans become a challenge, but then the team must try to stop speedy deep threat DeSean Jackson from breaking big plays on the opposite side of the field.

The Vikings will need to force the Buccaneers to become one-dimensional as a team, and that also means another part of the defense will need to step up in a huge way if they want to contain Tampa Bay’s offense.

(All statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise noted)

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