Minnesota Vikings vs. Broncos in Week 11: The Denver perspective

Take a look at the big Week 11 game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Denver Broncos through the eyes of the “Orange Crush” before Sunday’s contest.

Week 11 has arrived in the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings have one more game to power through before they can enjoy their bye. Their opponent on Sunday is the Denver Broncos, a team struggling to meet their potential this season.

The media covering the Vikings have done a good job explaining the game from Minnesota’s point of view, but there are two sides to every story. For that reason, we reached out to Ty Walden, FanSided’s site expert at Predominantly Orange, to learn more about their view of things.

We asked Walden five questions about the upcoming game and here are his replies:

1. Most Vikings fans have absolutely no clue who Brandon Allen is. What can you tell us about this young quarterback who will be getting his second career start in Minnesota?

Brandon Allen has been in the league for a little bit. He was drafted in 2016, the same year Denver took Paxton Lynch. He spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars before getting cut. He would then spend some time with the LA Rams. In fact, the Broncos got to see him firsthand during the preseason this year when the Rams and Broncos played. He played college ball at Arkansas.

2. The Broncos give up the fourth-fewest yards per game this season and fourth-fewest passing yards per game but have a middle of the road run defense. How will Denver look to slow down Dalvin Cook in this game?

The run defense has been up and down this season. And the numbers are a bit inflated because of the week four meeting with the Jaguars, where the Broncos allowed 269 yards rushing to them. But when the Broncos get it going on the run defense, they do a solid job. They were able to keep Nick Chubb to 65 yards rushing in the last game. But the way Denver can slow down Dalvin Cook is to not miss on the first point of contact. Denver has missed a lot of tackles, so getting Cook down with the first point of contact will be key.

3. Who are one Broncos player on offense and one on defense who Minnesota Vikings fans may not know but should be aware of heading into Sunday?

On offense, Dalton Risner is one you might not know about. Which would make sense since he plays left guard, He has been a solid member of the offensive line on a unit that has struggled at times. On defense, Alexander Johnson has been a force on the team. He had his first start in week five and he already has 41 tackles on the season. He’s been a breath of fresh air this season so far.

4. Gary Kubiak is the assistant head coach and offensive advisor for the Vikings but has a rich history with the Broncos considering he spent nine years there as a quarterback, two years as the head coach, and two more as their senior personnel advisor. What is the feeling about going up against an offense he helped to rejuvenate this year?

It is going to be very interesting. He had a part in all three Super Bowl wins for the Denver Broncos. Two as an offensive coordinator and one as head coach. He was also the backup quarterback to the great John Elway at one time. I was really sad to see him go. I thought Vic Fangio would have allowed him to stay. But it will be nice to see him again since it is uncertain how long he will stay in the NFL. Minnesota has a good guy in Gary Kubiak.

5. What are your predictions for this game? Include a final score.

Even though the Vikings are 10.5 favorites going into this contest at the time I am writing this, I feel like this will be a huge defensive game. Both teams boast defenses that rank in the top five overall. The only thing is that Minnesota has the better offense. But last season with Chicago, Fangio allowed a total of 30 points in the two contests between the Bears and Vikings. I am interested to see how Fangio prepares for the Vikings this week. I think it comes down to defense and the Broncos find some way to prevail. Broncos win 17-13.

Huge thanks go out to Ty Walden at Predominantly Orange for taking the time to answer questions for us. May the best team win when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Denver Broncos in Week 11!