Washington Redskins vs. Minnesota Vikings: Complete Week 9 Preview for Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings host the Washington Redskins on Sunday in a game that pits two teams hoping to keep their playoff hopes afloat. Both teams sit at 3-5 entering this weekend and while a loss obviously wouldn't eliminate either team, the loser's postseason hopes will go from a vague dream to a pipe dream.
The Vikings got back on the winning track last week by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20-13, in an overtime thriller. Minnesota now begins a stretch of five games against teams with a combined record of 15-24-1, with Green Bay being the only opponent in that stretch with a winning record.
The Redskins have won two straight after going on the road and surprising the Dallas Cowboys with a 20-17 overtime win Monday night.
Both the Vikings and Redskins have used three different starting quarterbacks already this season. Minnesota lost starter Matt Cassel for the year with a broken foot, and the Redskins have been without Robert Griffin III since he suffered an ankle injury in Week 2.
Rookie Teddy Bridgewater has taken over the starting role for Minnesota, but he also missed the Green Bay Packers game with an ankle injury. Kirk Cousins started five games for the Redskins in Griffin's absence before being replaced by Colt McCoy in the second half of their Week 7 win over the Tennessee Titans.
McCoy has been very sharp in his two appearances for the Redskins, going 36-of-42 for 427 yards. However, Griffin was a full participant in practice Wednesday and Dianna Russini, the host of Redskins Showtime, tweeted this out on Wednesday afternoon:
"Robert Griffin III will start against the Vikings on Sunday per multiple sources with the Redskins organization.
— Dianna Marie Russini (@NBCdianna) October 29, 2014"
In order to win, the Vikings defense will have to continue to play well, as the offense is still a work in progress under Bridgewater. Minnesota's defense ranks eighth overall in the NFL and is fourth against the pass.
"Jay Gruden on # Vikings HC Mike Zimmer "We competed every day in practice and it was not friendly. " Has a lot of respect for him.
— ESPN 980 (@ESPNRadio980) October 29, 2014"
Sunday's game matches up two first-year head coaches in Mike Zimmer and Jay Gruden, who for the last three seasons were the defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively, for the Cincinnati Bengals. Both coaches are downplaying their familiarity with each other leading up to Sunday's game, as reported by Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune.
Minnesota and Washington both head into bye weeks after Sunday's game. The winner will be 4-5 and looking forward to salvaging its season, while the loser drops to 3-6 and will need a miracle run to reach the playoffs.
Vikings' Week 8 Recap
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If only Anthony Barr had been steering the Titanic.
The Vikings avoided a gargantuan disaster last Sunday when their rookie linebacker stripped Buccaneers tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins on the first play of overtime and scooped up the fumble and raced 27 yards to the end zone, winning the game, 19-13, for Minnesota.
Barr's fellow rookie and first-round draft pick Teddy Bridgewater led the Vikings on a nine-play, 61-yard drive in the final two minutes that culminated in a Blair Walsh 38-yard field goal on the last play of regulation.
Minnesota had dominated Tampa Bay all afternoon, only to see the Buccaneers score 13 fourth-quarter points and take a 13-10 lead with just over two minutes left in regulation.
Through three quarters Minnesota's defense had completely shut down Tampa Bay's offense, limiting the Buccaneers to just 107 total yards.
The Vikings' defensive stalwarts on the afternoon were Sharrif Floyd, Everson Griffen and of course, Barr, the eighth-overall pick in this year's draft, who's quickly establishing himself as one of the premier young linebackers in the league.
Floyd had a career-high eight tackles and recorded a sack for the third time in his past four games. Griffen had four tackles and a sack, his eighth of the year, which tied a career-high and ranks third in the NFL.
Barr had eight tackles, a sack, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and, of course, the game-winning touchdown. His 43 solo tackles leads the Vikings and he also has three sacks, three passes defensed, a forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and a touchdown.
The Vikings offense continued to struggle, though, and Minnesota's 17.4 points a game ranks 29th in the NFL. It was one thing to be shut down by the powerful defenses of the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills, but the Buccaneers rank 25th in the league in total defense.
Bridgewater threw for 241 yards and a touchdown, but still missed on way too many pass attempts, finishing 24-of-42 on the afternoon. Rookie Jerick McKinnon continued to impress running the ball, picking up 83 yards on 16 carries.
The game ends up in the win column for the Vikings, and in the end that's all that matters. A loss to the lowly Buccaneers would have put Mike Zimmer's first season in critical condition, but the win gives them momentum as they head home to take on the Redskins this Sunday.
News and Notes
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The Return of RG III
For weeks the Redskins had penciled in this week's game against the Vikings as the return date for Robert Griffin III, who's been out since Week 2 after he dislocated his left ankle in a brutal injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Washington's never had a definitive return date though, and head coach Jay Gruden has repeatedly said that the starting job is Griffin's as soon as he's ready to play again, as detailed by Mike Florio of NBCSports.com.
Griffin's return should be a big boost to the Redskins, he's a career 63.3 percent passer and has thrown for 36 touchdowns in 30 career games. Griffin's also averaged 6.3 yards a rush on 211 carries in his career, but it remains to be seen if the Redskins will allow him to run as much after two significant injuries.
While Griffin is just 12-16 as a starter, the 24-year-old is by far the Redskins' best option at quarterback and remains the future of the franchise.
What will be interesting to watch for Sunday is if Washington ditches the read-option that they've used in the past to utilize Griffin's ability as a runner. One would think that after two serious leg injuries, the Redskins would stick with a more conventional offense so as not to put their star quarterback at risk.
Washington is hoping Griffin can return to his rookie form of 2012, when he threw for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns while posting a 102.4 quarterback rating. He lit up the Vikings that year, passing for 182 yards and a touchdown and running for 138 yards and two more scores en route to a 38-26 win.
Matchup of Superstar Collegiate Quarterbacks
The return of Griffin to the Redskins lineup means that Sunday's game will feature a matchup of two of the most successful collegiate quarterbacks of the last five years.
Griffin, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, starred at Baylor from 2008-2011, while Bridgewater helped put Louisville back on the college football map from 2011-2013, leading them to a 23-3 record during his last two seasons.
While Bridgewater stayed in college for only three seasons, an injury during Griffin's sophomore season limited him to three games that year and the two's college statistics ended up being remarkably similar.
| Games | Comp/Att | Yards | TDs | Rate | |
| Griffin, Baylor | 41 | 800/1,192 | 10,366 | 78 | 158.9 |
| Bridgewater, Louisville | 39 | 781/1,142 | 9,817 | 72 | 157.2 |
Both quarterbacks resuscitated college programs that were struggling when they arrived on campus, and both are hoping to do the same with their respective NFL teams.
While both are listed at 6'2", the 222-pound Griffin weighs about 12 pounds and is faster and more athletic than Bridgewater. The pair still have much to prove at the NFL level, but both franchises are hoping they have in place their offensive centerpieces for the next decade.
Vikings Pass Defense Continues to Improve
Anyone who follows the Vikings knows how bad the pass defense was last season. They gave up 287.2 yards a game through the air, and their 37 passing touchdowns allowed tied for the third-worst total in NFL history. Nobody has allowed more since the St. Louis Cardinals gave up 38 in 1969.
So, yes, it's certainly understandable if you do a double-take when you see that the 2014 Vikings currently rank fourth in the league pass defense, allowing just 212 passing yards per game.
During a season that might be reduced to simply getting better and setting things up for an improved future, it's nice to see Minnesota's pass defense improve so quickly under Mike Zimmer. The new head coach's defensive pedigree was one of the main reasons he got the head job with the Vikings, and his acumen is clearly paying off.
It's eight weeks into the season and Minnesota's defense still hasn't allowed a 300-yard passing game, even though they've faced some of the best quarterbacks in the league.
| QB | Comp/Att | Yards |
| Austin Davis, Rams | 16/23 | 192 |
| Tom Brady, Patriots | 14/21 | 149 |
| Drew Brees, Saints | 27/35 | 293 |
| Matt Ryan, Falcons | 25/41 | 298 |
| Aaron Rodgers, Packers | 12/17 | 156 |
| Drew Stafford, Lions | 19/33 | 185 |
| Kyle Orton, Bills | 31/43 | 283 |
| Mike Glennon, Buccaneers | 19/28 | 171 |
The Vikings gave up seven 300-yard passing games in 2013.
Minnesota's pass defense will certainly be put to the test against the Redskins, who rank fifth in the league with 290 passing yards per game, and their 8.5 yards-per-pass attempt is the most in the NFL.
Vikings Defense Picking Up Honors
On Wednesday, Vikings' rookie linebacker Anthony Barr was named the NFC's Defensive Player of the Week, as reported by Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
As we wrote in the previous slide, Barr had eight tackles, a sack, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and the game-winning touchdown against Tampa Bay.
Goessling writes that Barr is the sixth rookie linebacker to win the award in the last decade, joining an impressive list that includes DeMarcus Ware, Clay Matthews, Brian Orakpo, Sean Lee and Luke Kuechly.
Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen then won the NFC Defensive Player of the Month on Thursday, according to Vikings PR at Vikings.com.
Griffen had an NFC-best six sacks in October and led all NFC defensive linemen with 20 total tackles during the month.
Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets that Griffen is trying to keep the honor in perspective:
"Everson Griffin on Player of Month honor: "I’m excited man but I can’t let this accolade become something that I think I’ve arrived.''
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) October 30, 2014"
The last two Vikings to win the award were defensive end Jared Allen in October 2011 and safety Darren Sharper in November 2005.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Brian Robison | DE | Questionable |
| Jabari Price | CB | Questionable |
| Kyle Rudolph | TE | Out |
| Chase Ford | TE | Probable |
| Josh Robinson | CB | Questionable |
| Sharrif Floyd | DT | Probable |
| Antone Exum | S | Probable |
| Gerald Hodges | LB | Probable |
All injury reports courtesy of Mike Wobschall at Vikings.com
The two biggest injury concerns for the Vikings this weekend are defensive end Brian Robison and cornerback Josh Robinson.
Robison missed Wednesday's practice and was limited on Thursday with a sore glute. Robison hasn't put up great numbers this season, but has been a constant presence on the pass rush and is a vital cog on the Vikings' defense.
Robinson has had a sore ankle since turning it in practice last week. He was limited in practice all week and his speed will be important to counter DeSean Jackson's presence. Jackson has gone for over 100 yards receiving in two of the last three weeks and is averaging over 20 yards a reception.
Gerald Hodges should return to action for the Vikings after missing two weeks with a sore hamstring.
Floyd, Price, Ford and Exum should all play.
The Vikings are hoping tight end Kyle Rudolph can return to the lineup after the bye week.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Cordarrelle Patterson vs. Bashaud Breeland
Both the Vikings and the Redskins are hoping that they can look back in a few years and remember that Week 8 of the 2014 season is when things began to click for for their star players Cordarrelle Patterson and Bashaud Breeland.
Patterson has already shown plenty of star quality in his season-and-a-half in the league, but last week against the Buccaneers was perhaps the first time he started to look like a legitimate threat at wide receiver.
Patterson is a mercurial athlete who's proven over and over again that he's an electric playmaker with the ball in his hands. The problem so far is that Minnesota hasn't figured out a way to get him up to speed in the passing game.
That might have changed last week as Patterson was targeted 12 times against Tampa Bay and caught six of them for 86 yards. Two receptions came along the sideline, where he had to work to get his feet down in bounds, including a spectacular effort when Patterson jumped high in the air to snare a ball that looked to be overthrown.
Patterson is now second on the Vikings behind Greg Jennings in both receptions and receiving yards. There's no question that Patterson is the most talented player on the Vikings offense, and if he can develop into a go-to receiver, he'll be among the best players in the league.
Patterson will be matched up plenty on Sunday against the Redskins' rookie cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who's beginning to look like a complete steal as a fourth-round pick out of Clemson.
Breeland has worked his way into the starting lineup for Washington and had a breakout game on Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys, registering four passes defensed in the Redskins surprising 20-17 overtime win.
Ben Stockwell of Pro Football Focus raved about Breeland's performance this week, giving him the game ball for his ability to limit Dallas receivers Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams.
Here's what Stockwell wrote about Breeland's game:
"Breakdown: A busy night for the fourth-round rookie who came up with his best game since he entered the starting lineup in Week 4. Targeted 11 times Breeland got his hand to four passes, two of which came on consecutive plays inside the Washington five to limit the Cowboys to a field goal late in the third quarter.
Signature Play: Closed out the victory driving under Dez Bryant to break up the pass on the final play in overtime.
"
John Keim of ESPN.com echoed Stockwell's review and talked about Breeland's preparation to get ready to face Bryant.
Breeland's 26 tackles and five passes defensed both rank in the top five among rookie corners. Patterson will be a tough matchup for him, though, as the cornerback's speed was a question mark heading into the draft. He's one of the few young corners in the league who might be an athletic matchup for Patterson though, as evidenced by his great game against Bryant.
Everson Griffen vs. Trent Williams
As we detailed in an earlier slide, Griffen received the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October. He recorded six sacks on the month, including three against the Bills two weeks ago.
Some eyebrows were raised when the Vikings signed Griffen to a five-year, $42.5 million deal. That seemed like a ton of money for somebody who'd never been a starter. But the defensive end is proving the Vikings right, though, as his eight sacks rank third in the NFL, and his 29 tackles are the most among Vikings defensive linemen.
Griffen might face his toughest test of the season this week, however, when he lines up across from Trent Williams, the Redskins 6'5", 337-pound behemoth of a left tackle, who's made the last two Pro Bowls.
Williams, the fourth overall choice in the 2010 draft, is exactly the type of player the Vikings hoped they were getting when they selected Matt Kalil fourth overall in 2012. He's a dominant force that Washington can just plug in at left tackle and have no worries.
Williams did injure his right knee near the end of September against the New York Giants and has been dealing with it since then, but he's still been the best player on the Redskins offensive line.
Griffen has been playing phenomenal football for the Vikings this season, and he'll get his biggest test this Sunday against Williams.
Jerick McKinnon vs. Brandon Meriweather
McKinnon has pretty much left Matt Asiata in the dust in the competition to become the Vikings' starting running back in the absence of Adrian Peterson.
McKinnon has 35 carries in the last two games, compared to just 10 for Asiata. The rookie now has 76 carries on the season and is averaging 5.2 yards per rush, while Asiata is averaging just 3.2 yards on his 74 carries on the year.
Minnesota took a shot in the third round on McKinnon, who was a triple-option quarterback during most of his tenure at Georgia Southern, and it's starting to pay off handsomely. McKinnon has excelled while taking over the main running back duties for the Vikings.
McKinnon has put together back-to-back good games for Minnesota, picking up 186 yards combined against the Bills and Buccaneers and averaging 5.3 yards a carry.
McKinnon's 392 yards rank second among rookies in the NFL to San Diego's Branden Oliver, who has 441 yards, but McKinnon is averaging more than a yard per carry more than Oliver.
We match McKinnon up against Meriweather this week, because Meriweather is basically the Redskins' version of Harrison Smith, a do-it-all safety who has to be accounted for in the run game and in pass protection.
McKinnon will have to have to be looking for Meriweather in passing situations, as he blitzed a career-high 11 times against the Cowboys on Monday night, according to Ben Stockwell of Pro Football Focus. He had two sacks and seven tackles for the game.
One of he nicest surprises about McKinnon has been his effectiveness as a pass blocker, but it's his ability to run with the ball that has head coach Mike Zimmer raving about him, as detailed by Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press.
"Jerick looks like a pretty good back, doesn't he? I love the way he runs. He's got some great cut ability. But the thing I like most about him right now is his physicality when he runs.
He's a smaller stature guy and is very strong. Doesn't run like a small guy, in my opinion, and he's got the juice to get in and out of cuts and make some things happen.
"
McKinnon should get plenty of opportunities to run against the Redskins and when he does, he'll have plenty of encounters with Meriweather.
Vikings X-Factor of the Week: Chase Ford
Tight end Chase Ford is developing a nice rapport with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The 6'6", 255-pound Ford played his way onto the Vikings roster last season and has done the same thing in 2014 after missing most of training camp with a broken foot.
With starter Kyle Rudolph out for at least another week, Ford is an essential part of the Vikings passing game, and he's proving he's capable of pitching in.
Ford had a career-best game last week against Tampa Bay, catching six passes for 61 yards, boosting his season totals to 14 catches for 146 yards.
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten had success against the Redskins on Monday night, catching five passes for 70 yards, and of course Giants tight end Larry Donnell nearly became a legend earlier in the season when he scorched Washington with seven catches and three touchdowns during a Thursday night game.
Bridgewater has shown a nice ability to spread the ball around in his short time at the helm of Minnesota's offense, and Ford looks like a player who is on the verge of bigger things for the Vikings.
He could start by getting his first career touchdown against the Redskins.
Prediction
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Sunday's game between the Vikings and Redskins pits two 3-5 teams against each other, and the winner will walk away thinking its still in the playoff hunt.
For the Vikings a win heading into the bye week could make all the difference in the world during a season that hasn't seemed to make up its mind yet on whether it's going to head north or south.
Minnesota could come out of the break at 4-5, with a winnable road game against the struggling Chicago Bears, and then they get three straight home games.
There is still plenty of football to be played in the 2014 season, and the good news for the Vikings is that their core of young players seem to be getting better each week.
Jerick McKinnon, Cordarrelle Patterson and Chase Ford all had nice games last week on offense and Anthony Barr, Everson Griffen and Sharrif Floyd are all blossoming on defense.
The key to the whole puzzle for Minnesota remains Bridgewater, who showed signs of progress against Tampa Bay, but still needs to be better for the Vikings to become a good team. The Redskins have a pretty solid defense and rank seventh overall against the pass, giving up just 219.3 yards a game.
Obviously as a rookie, Bridgewater can use all the help he can get from his offensive line, and veteran Joe Berger will remain in the starting lineup at the right guard spot after playing well against the Buccaneers, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
The Redskins love to blitz and they'll come after Bridgewater all game long. Obviously Norv Turner knows this, and the thought here is that he'll have Bridgewater ready.
Look for the Vikings defense to attack Robert Griffin III in a variety of ways and for the Redskins offense to struggle to get going in Griffin's return. The Minnesota offense will have to put some points on the board, but look for Bridgewater to have his best game since his first start against the Atlanta Falcons.
Prediction: Vikings 26 Redskins 24
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