What to Expect from Minnesota Vikings Offense in Week 9 Matchup

The public doesn’t know yet who will line up under center for the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.

We just know it won’t be Matt Cassel.

Whether it’s Christian Ponder or Josh Freeman taking snaps from John Sullivan, the quarterback can look forward to a favorable matchup this week.

While owner Jerry Jones worries about whether Deion Sanders could cover could cover Calvin Johnson, his current defensive backs struggle to cover any current players.   

The Dallas Cowboys boast the NFL’s worst pass defense (315.4 yards per game). In their defense, they have faced five of the NFL’s top 12 passing offenses by total yardage.

Regardless, that means, statistically speaking, it couldn’t be any easier for Freeman or Ponder to accumulate yards in bunches. There is no worse pass defense entering Week 9.

With that said, it’s still tough to project success for this Minnesota passing attack.

Ponder lacks the confidence to succeed, despite his new “relaxed” nature, and against an opportunistic defense—Dallas has forced the fifth-most interceptions (11)—that spells trouble for the third-year pro who completed 14-of-21 passes for 145 yards and zero touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.

The good news for Ponder in that game: It was his lone start of 2013 that ended without an interception. At this point, the former Florida State Seminole should take good news any way he can get it.

Ponder had some nice throws over the course of the game, including a nice sideline effort to rookie Cordarrelle Patterson. But against Green Bay, overall, it was more of the same.

He takes too long to go through his progressions downfield. He doesn’t have a strong pocket presence—he’s most comfortable bailing on the pocket altogether rather than stepping up—and he would rather attempt to be a cricket bowler than an NFL quarterback.

Freeman, meanwhile, demonstrated the off-the-charts arm strength that had many slobbering over him during his time with Tampa Bay in his one Minnesota start against New York. His problem, at least against the Giants, was controlling that arm strength and throwing with any kind of accuracy—he completed 37.7 percent of his passes (20-of-53).

It’s great to have all the arm strength in the world, but it’s worthless if he can’t leave it short enough for the receiver to make a play. Receivers shouldn’t have to be Superman to catch a pass.

When it comes down to it, an additional $2 million to get Freeman to Minnesota is what should earn him the start against Dallas.

He chalked up his Superman throws up to first-game “nerves” and nothing to do with being unfamiliar with the playbook. We’ll find out how Freeman’s nerves and knowledge shape up this week.

I don’t know what it is with Viking quarterbacks and playing nervous, but it probably has something to do with the unreliable play of the offensive line, which aided in Freeman suffering a concussion against the Giants.

It’s unknown whether defensive end DeMarcus Ware will return after missing the previous three games with a strained quad—the initial diagnosis was that he’d miss three games.

If Ware returns, it makes life much more difficult on the struggling Matt Kalil. Without Ware, the O-line’s interior must be mindful of Jason Hatcher.

The eighth-year defensive tackle has already shattered his career high of 4.5 sacks. He has seven through eight games.

Middle linebacker Sean Lee finds a way to get his head in on as many plays as possible. He has 81 tackles.

As long as the offensive line continues to pave way for Adrian Peterson much the same way a Toyota Camry would as a snow plow, it’s going to be tough for the 2012 NFL MVP to eclipse 100 yards again this season. Peterson is a freak, but even freaks can’t run through an entire defense. Some defenders must be accounted for by the offensive line.

Summation

It’s tough to expect much of anything from Minnesota’s offense with the quarterback position consistently in flux and the offensive line struggling to open holes for the running game and protect its quarterback—whoever he may be.

Dallas is a middle-of-the-road rush defense (107.1 yards per game, 17th-best), which means it should be easier for Peterson and company to gain ground than it was against Green Bay (83.6 yards per game, fourth-best).

Peterson should rush for 85-90 yards with a touchdown unless coach Leslie Frazier pulls the football from his hands early like he did against Green Bay.

Freeman should be under more control this time around—let’s say 18-of-30 for 240 yards with one touchdown and an interception. But he’s still developing chemistry with his receivers and the offensive line. There will be hiccups. And you will want to boo.

But it will be better than New York. I promise.