5 Bold Predictions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers – Week 8
By Chris Schad
3. The Vikings will not allow a sack
The offensive line has been a hot topic among Vikings fans for the past decade, but it appears they’ve finally figured out a starting five.
The combination of Christian Darrisaw, Dalton Risner, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, and Brian O’Neill didn’t allow a sack to the 49ers on Monday night, and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest they could continue to play well moving forward.
Darrisaw and O’Neill are the key figures in the Vikings’ revival in the trenches as two of the highest-graded guards in the NFL.
According to PFF, the Philadelphia Eagles are the only other team in the NFL with two tackles rated in the top 10, and the Vikings tackles remained in that group even after going up against Nick Bosa on Monday night.
While the tackles have done their job, so has the interior of the offensive line. Ingram survived calls for his benching at the beginning of the season and has taken a leap forward in pass protection.
Bradbury also overcame an opening-week back injury, while Risner had a successful debut in relief of Ezra Cleveland on Monday night.
The Packers do have a difficult matchup in edge rusher Rashan Gary, but the Vikings have shown enough improvement that even a matchup against Kenny Clark isn’t as terrifying as it used to be. That should keep Cousins clean and allow another big day for the passing game.