Which Vikings players need to step up to get a win in Week 3?

Who needs to step up for the Minnesota Vikings to clinch a victory in Week 3?

This isn’t exactly what the Minnesota Vikings and their fans had in mind when the 2020 season kicked off two weeks ago.

No one pegged the Vikings for an 0-2 start. But that’s where they sit after a brutal defensive performance Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers and a lackluster performance last week against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Tennesse Titans and their ferocious running game come to town on Sunday to take on a Minnesota defense that has struggled this year. The Titans’ defense is also no joke, and they get to take on a stifled Vikings offense.

Who do the Minnesota Vikings need to step on Sunday to get a win?

The easy answer is everyone. But let’s get more specific. Tennessee running back Derrick Henry owns the rushing title from last year, so the key should be to focus on stopping him. The Titans also signed Jadeveon Clowney in the offseason to add to what is already one of the better defenses in the league.

That leaves a few key areas where guys need to step up and play better football this week to ensure Minnesota gets a win to avoid falling to a dismal 0-3 and likely eliminate themselves out of the playoff race in a tight NFC North division.

Troy Dye

With Anthony Barr out for the season with a torn pec, it appears Dye is in place to step up as his replacement.

The Vikings have also expressed interest in former Denver Broncos stud linebacker Todd Davis. If Davis does, in fact, sign with Minnesota, that likely kicks Dye back down the pecking order.

As it sits now, the rookie from Oregon will have to show why the Vikings spent a fourth-round pick on him in this year’s NFL Draft.

Minnesota’s defensive line

This defensive line has struggled without Danielle Hunter in the lineup. With him out again this week, the line will have to work better as a whole to generate pressure against the Titans and plug up running lanes.

These last two weeks, in particular, for the Vikings have been brutal against misdirection runs and play-action passes. Guys have been getting out of position, flying too far upfield, and allowing opposing offenses to get the edge on them to get big chunk plays.

The interior of Minnesota’s line is also missing guys like Linval Joseph, who left in free agency, and newcomer Michael Pierce, who opted out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns. The Vikings will need one of their guys on the interior to have to have a big game this week in order to stop Tennessee’s tough running game.

Kirk Cousins

Cousins is one of the most criticized players on the Vikings roster, and rightfully so, after the type of year he has had. He has just 372 passing yards through the first two weeks, which ranks near the bottom of the league. He’s in company with quarterbacks that haven’t even started a game yet.

Cousins’ touchdown to interception ratio is terrible, throwing just two scores to his four picks. He has a rating of only 61.9, which is awful and at the very bottom of the league. If he can’t get going this week, Minnesota’s hopes of making the playoffs are slim to none.

Gary Kubiak

Now, is it all Cousins’ fault for how poorly he’s been playing? No, the play-calling has been just as bad. Each Vikings coach needs to take a step back this week and re-evaluate how they are calling games. Specifically Kubiak in this situation.

He has put Cousins and the rest of Minnesota’s offense in a lot of bad situations against specific defensive looks. Kubiak has struggled to get the play-action bootleg game going this year, which was a staple of Cousins’ success last year.

Dalvin Cook seems to be still running the ball well this year for the Vikings, so getting the play-action game going shouldn’t be a problem this week.

Look for Kubiak to change the gameplan this week and put Cousins and this offense in a position to succeed.