Vikings vs. Bills: What Are Experts Saying About Minnesota?

The Minnesota Vikings (2-4) will travel to the east coast this weekend to attempt to end a two-game losing streak against the Buffalo Bills (3-3) at Ralph Wilson Stadium this Sunday. Following a divisional loss to the New England Patriots (5-2), the Bills will also be looking to get back into the win column.

There was no shortage of Vikings news this week following their dysfunctional offensive performance against the Detroit Lions (4-2). With the offensive line struggling to protect rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and wide receivers seemingly incapable of creating separation, the Vikings offense is currently in a state of disarray.

From speculation on how to fix the Vikings' inadequacies to reporting on the renewal of a player rivalry that dates back to their college days, the experts covered a wide variety of Vikings news this week.

Without further ado, here is what the experts have had to say about the Vikings heading into Week 7 and my personal analysis of these reports.

Ben Goessling: Vikings Must Play Good Defense Early

USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings defense has improved quite a bit since last season, but as ESPN Minnesota Vikings reporter Ben Goessling points out, they have not played well early in games.

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They [Viking defense] have given up touchdowns in their last five games on the first or second drive of the game, and on Sunday it put rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in a quick deficit against a team set on coming after him and making life miserable for him with its fierce front four. As the Vikings go to Buffalo this weekend, looking for ways to make things easier on Bridgewater, playing good defense at the beginning of the game, and not putting their rookie quarterback in a hole, would be a good way to start. It's something [Mike] Zimmer knows, it's something the Vikings will likely emphasize during this week and it's something that has to change, as the Vikings look to rebound from two straight losses in the division.

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Similar to the Lions, the Bills have constructed their defense around an efficient and relentless defensive line. In fact, the Bills starting front four has actually racked up more sacks than the Lions' starting quartet, according to ESPN.

If the Vikings defense is unable to hold up against a statistically below-average Bills offense early in the game, their increasingly successful group of defensive linemen will be all over Bridgewater, just as the Lions' group was this past weekend.

Given the recent struggles of their offensive line, the Vikings cannot afford to allow Buffalo's front four to be in attack mode from start to finish.

Simply put, the Vikings defense must play well early this Sunday, or we could be looking at a repeat performance of last weekend's frustrating defeat to Detroit.

Brian Dawkins, Mark Schlereth: Bills Will Defeat Vikings

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While the Vikings defense has seen noticeable improvement this season, the offensive line has regressed dramatically.

Following a brief introduction by NFL Live host Trey Wingo concerning how close the Lions were to shutting out the Vikings, analysts Brian Dawkins and Mark Schlereth explain why the Bills will defeat the Vikings this coming weekend.

Dawkins:

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That's why I love Buffalo in this one. I think a lot of it, for me, is about what the defense is doing. Last year, they were good at getting after the quarterback; they weren't doing a good job stopping the run. Now they do both pretty well, and so any team going into their confines to try to get a victory against that defense is going to be tough.

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While Dawkins does give Buffalo the advantage over Minnesota because of its superior defensive line, he actually downplays just how successful this group has been this season. According to ESPN, Buffalo's starting group of defensive ends Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes, nose tackle Marcell Dareus and defensive tackle Kyle Williams have combined for 14.5 sacks this season. There are currently 20 teams in the NFL, Minnesota included, that have not reached that total as a team.

Simply, Buffalo has been able to have success pressuring opposing quarterbacks without blitzing. It could be a long day for a struggling Vikings offensive line, which Schlereth touches on in his explanation.

Schlereth:

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I look at the two matchups here from the standpoint of the front defensive line for the Buffalo Bills and an offensive line for the Minnesota Vikings that is...just playing really bad football right now [and] Buffalo playing great on that D-line. That's a mismatch in my opinion. I like the Buffalo Bills, just on the strength of their defensive line dominating the offensive line of Minnesota.

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Schlereth, like Dawkins, is extremely impressed with Buffalo's defensive line—and he should be. However, he goes a bit further in his argument citing the ineffectiveness of the Vikings offensive line.

According to ESPN, the Vikings have allowed 22 sacks so far this season, which is the second most in the NFL behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars. Allowing an average of 3.5 sacks a game is far too many, especially when considering the Vikings are attempting to develop a rookie quarterback.

It is difficult to argue with the explanations that Dawkins and Schlereth give, but they do fail to mention any other phase of the game. Referring back to ESPN, Buffalo also has a statistically below-average offense, relative to current NFL team statistics, and the Vikings are currently the 12th-ranked defense in the NFL based on total yards allowed.

While both Dawkins and Schlereth are correct in what they argue, their arguments are incomplete. Buffalo may have a significant advantage over the Vikings offensive line, but Minnesota's much-improve defense could very easily make this a low-scoring defensive battle.

Master Tesfatsion: CB Xavier Rhodes and WR Sammy Watkins Renew Rivalry

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With so many issues on the Vikings offense, many experts have overlooked in-game matchups, outside of a few battles in the trenches. However, in his recent article for the Star Tribune, Master Tesfatsion highlights the renewal of a rivalry between Minnesota cornerback Xavier Rhodes and Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins, which dates back to their days at Florida State and Clemson, respectively.

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The second-year cornerback will prepare for wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who was the fourth overall pick in last year's draft. Rhodes, who attended Florida State, squared off against Watkins, who attended Clemson, twice in college.

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According to Walter Football, Rhodes held Watkins to 24 yards and six receptions in their most recent head-to-head matchup.

Later in the article, Rhodes noted how impressed he is with Watkins:

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The kid is just good...He's explosive when he comes out of his breaks. I can say that about his game now is he's more detailed now. They're probably on him for being more detailed, being at the right spot at the right time, not drifting his routes.

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Rhodes seemingly has plenty of respect for Watkins' talent, but he also alludes to the young receiver's shortcomings as a route-runner.

According to ESPN, Watkins is enjoying a solid, yet inconsistent rookie season. While he has totaled 311 receiving yards through six games, 204 of these yards were recorded in just two games played. In his other four professional outings, Watkins averaged slightly below 27 receiving yards receiving.

In fairness, Watkins was shadowed by cornerback Darrelle Revis, who many consider to be the best cover corner in the NFL, during last weekend's game against the New England Patriots. He totaled just two catches for 27 yards.

Watkins' familiarity with Rhodes may up his comfort level in this Week 7 matchup, but Rhodes should still have an advantage. He has the size, speed and, most importantly, the NFL experience to keep Watkins from dramatically influencing the outcome of this game.

While Rhodes did struggle earlier this season, he put together his best performance when faced with the challenge of covering Atlanta's Julio Jones and Roddy White. According to ESPN, Rhodes recorded four pass breakups and did not allow either member of this elite-receiving duo to reach the end zone while he was in coverage.

Expect Rhodes to keep Watkins relatively quiet in the first of what will hopefully be many NFL matchups between these two blossoming stars.

Mike Wobschall: Vikings Air Defense vs. Buffalo's Air Attack

USA TODAY Sports

Mike Wobschall of Vikings.com also chose to avoid the Vikings' inadequacies and instead target one of their strengths in his Ticketmaster Hot Matchup article.

In his article, Wobschall highlights the Vikings' improved secondary and how it measures up against the Bills' aerial attack. He references the dramatic improvement of the Minnesota 15th-ranked pass defense, which was ranked 31st in passing yards allowed last season.

His reasoning for this improvement is the play of cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes, Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Robinson:

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Key to the Vikings improvement against the pass has been the play of the top three cornerbacks—Captain Munnerlyn, Xavier Rhodes and Josh Robinson. All three have played in each game this season and they've combined for 15 pass breakups (PBUs). Last week against Detroit, this trio was part of an effort that allowed just 10 receptions on 20 targets to Lions wide receivers, with a modest per-catch average of 6.4 yards.

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As Wobschall points out, the Vikings defense played very well last week against Detroit, despite the offense putting together a miserable performance.

While the Vikings pass defense has improved over the course of this entire season, the Bills have seen a dramatic increase in their passing production since quarterback Kyle Orton was named the starter.

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Since Orton took over as starter in Week 5, the Bills are completing 66.7-percent of their passes. In the past two weeks, leading receiver Sammy Watkins has hauled in 60-percent of his targets, tight end Scott Chandler has emerged with 10 receptions for 126 yards on 15 targets and running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller have combined for 14 catches.

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It is no secret that the Bills' aerial attack has improved since Orton took over for second-year quarterback EJ Manuel. However, statistically speaking, it would not have taken much for Orton to be an improvement. According to ESPN, Manuel was completing just 58 percent of his passes and averaging a subpar 198.5 yards per game. 

By comparison, Orton has averaged 281 passing yards per game and, as stated previously, has completed 66.7 percent of his passes.

Wobschall's article makes a number of solid points, but I do not find this to be a key matchup for the Vikings this weekend. Controlling an opposing team's ability to pass is always important, but the Bills do not boast a dangerous enough aerial attack to warrant extra focus.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Orton has faced pressure on 33 of his 88 dropbacks (37.5 percent) since becoming the Bills' starting quarterback. Under these circumstances, Orton is completing just 50 percent.

This brings us back to the original narrative: The winner of this matchup will be the team that receives the best line play. If the Vikings are able to get pressure against a below-average Bills offensive line, Orton will not be nearly as effective.

Naturally, the same goes for the Vikings offense, as Bridgewater has received pressure on 40.6 percent of his dropbacks and is only completing 44 percent of his passes under these circumstances.

The focus may be on the quarterback matchup between Orton and Bridgewater, so an effective pass defense will surely be a factor, but the offensive line that protects better and the defensive line that is able to apply the most pressure will win this football game.

Brian Hall: Patterson, Wide Receivers out to Prove Themselves

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Matt Kalil and the Vikings offensive line may be the face of the Vikings troubles in moving the ball and scoring, but inefficiency at the wide receiver position also plays a significant role.

In a recent column, Brian Hall of Fox Sports North discusses the ineffectiveness of Vikings wide receivers. This maligned group has been one obvious part of the Vikings' lack of production on offense, which ranks 27th in the NFL in total yards, 30th in passing yards and 20th in points per game. All the early optimism with coordinator Norv Turner is now mired in questions about the offensive line, receiver corps, the play of the quarterback and the team's ability to run the ball.

While a major of emphasis of Hall's column is to showcase how much ineffective wide receiver play has impacted an anemic Vikings offense, it also serves as a bridge to thoughts on Patterson, Jarius Wright and Greg Jennings. Hall quotes Patterson, who speaks for all Vikings pass-catchers when describing how the group has let down Turner. 

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We feel like that all the time...As receivers we talk to each other and we let this whole offense down. It's our job to step up this weekend and just show everybody what this offense is about.

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Patterson's quote, though a bit sentimental, does prove that he and the rest of the Vikings receivers are passionate about turning the offense into the effective unit it was expected to be heading into the season. Having the guts to admit faults and work tirelessly to create change is half the battle.

There are plenty of wide receivers (and players) in this league who play for money and themselves. At the very least, it should be viewed as a positive sign that the Vikings receiver corps is determined to work together and improve for their coaches and for each other.

While it would be quite a dramatic and unprecedented turn around for the offensive line and wide receiver group to accomplish their voiced goals in just one week's time, there should be an expectation that last week's issues will not be nearly as noticeable this week.

The Bills may have similar assets to the ones that Detroit used to dominate the Vikings offense last weekend, but an increased sense of urgency among players and coaches combined with another week of practice and game-planning should reduce the likelihood of the offense making the same mistakes again this week.

There is far too much passion and potential in this Vikings starting lineup to not expect—and demand— improvement on a week-to-week basis.