Mattison will have trouble against Atlanta’s defense
Opposing teams haven’t had too much trouble putting up points against the Falcons defense this season. With Atlanta allowing 161 points so far, they come into Sunday’s game tied with the New York Jets for the third-most points allowed in the NFL. But that shouldn’t be what the Vikings are focused on.
Instead, Minnesota should be focused on the Falcons’ run defense, which ranks 10th in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA metric. While teams haven’t been able to run on Atlanta in part because of falling behind early, they also have had issues getting past Jarrett and the rest of their defensive line which has allowed 4.3 yards per carry this season.
While last Sunday was a great day for Alexander Mattison truthers, the results could have been better. A long run on the final drive for the Vikings could have turned into a touchdown with Dalvin Cook‘s speed and a run on 4th-and-inches could have also resulted in a score had Mattison seen a gaping hole to his right.
A lot of this could just be a lack of experience, but Mattison isn’t the same game-breaking running back that Cook is. If Minnesota can’t crack the Falcons defense on the ground, Mattison could struggle.