Linval Joseph – DT
The Vikings run defense was gashed against the Seahawks last week. They gave up over 200 yards on the ground and were manhandled by the offensive line of the Seahawks. The hardest part to swallow was that the Seahawks were still able to move the ball up the middle when the Vikings knew it was coming. It was an odd thing to see for a team that has been stout against the run all season long.
Linval Joseph, who is usually a force against the run, had a very bad game. He was a nonfactor all night and seemed to be getting rotated out quite frequently. This would lead one to believe he is not fully healthy. He is only a couple of weeks removed from knee surgery and it is possible that he just isn’t quite to 100% yet. Maybe the reason he was ineffective was that he was worried about his knee, and didn’t play as hard to prevent further injury.
Joseph needs to bounce back in a big way this week against Detroit. The Lions will have watched the film and will try to duplicate what Seattle did by pounding the ball. If Joseph can play up to his usual standards and shut down any runs up the middle, that’ll keep his linebackers fresh and also make the Lions try a different tactic when they are trying to move the ball down the field.