Against the tide of current popular opinion, there are several ways for the Minnesota Vikings to pull off an upset over the powerful Rams and bring down the volume of their critics in what has become a crucial contest for Minnesota.
Beating the Rams is no mean feat these days. The team is 3-0, quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley are playing at the highest level, and despite a few injuries to date, the defense has given up only 36 points in three games.
The Minnesota Vikings, on the other hand, are a curious 1-1-1 and coming off a remarkable loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday at home. In addition, several emotional variables (which may or may not have affected their performance against Buffalo) are in play inside the Minnesota locker room.
Still, the Vikings, certainly no strangers to emotional variables and downright tragedies throughout the recent years, are deliberating and designing ways to win this game and get their young season back on track.
Here are several things that are worth examination and consideration in their game plan.
Attack what most likely will be a zone passing defense
With Rams’ All-Pro cornerback Aquib Talib recently put on injured reserve and opposite All-Pro corner Marcus Peters a game-time decision because of a calf injury, Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will be replacing them with 30-year-old ex-Packer Sam Shields and 3rd-year man Troy Hill, who are not nearly their equals.
This should predicate plenty of zone pass defense formations designed to avoid mismatches with Viking wideout Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.
The Vikings need to be aggressive with that zone defense and find its vulnerabilities early, engaging receivers on all levels, including the tight ends and running backs.
Remember the running attack that was successful last season against L.A.
Last year, in Week 11, the Vikings rushed for 171 yards as a team against the Rams. It wasn’t fancy, with much of the damage being right up the middle. The Vikings did not run with much success consistently, but did bust several big plays that visibly wore down the Los Angeles defense in the second half.
The Rams’ have upgraded their defensive line to include All-Pro nose tackle Ndamukong Suh, so the patience must be there. If the Vikings don’t control the game by running with some success, the play-action pass, vital to attacking a zone defense, will not be effective.
Don’t give up the big play
Considering many pundits consider Rams running back Todd Gurley to be the biggest threat to the Vikings defense in this game, I believe it is QB Jared Goff and his confidence to throw for big chunks of yardage to his forum of receivers, including speedsters Brandon Cooks and Robert Woods. Cooper Kupp, the Rams’ third-down specialist, is also deadly.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer must emphasize assignments in the defensive secondary in this game. Without defensive end Everson Griffen, Goff will probably have more time to throw. If they have gaffes like last Sunday against Buffalo, this one will be over quickly.
Use Dalvin Cook out of the backfield
The Rams’ do not employ a Pro Bowl complement of linebackers. Wade Phillips designed a defense that ate up the run with powerful inside tackles (2017 NFL defensive MVP Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh), and used two superlative corners (Talib and Peters) to make plays against the pass.
In addition to Dalvin Cook being an imperative part of the Minnesota Vikings running attack, plays putting him in the slot or in motion out of the backfield could prove extremely valuable in creating defensive confusion and mismatches with linebackers, much like the New Orleans Saints use their young running back, Alvin Kamara.
Cook has shown that he is not quite the reliable resource Kamara is in the short passing game, but given a nicely placed ball and a half-step, he can often break a big gain.