Minnesota Vikings: 5 Bold Predictions for Week 12 Matchup
Week 12 of the 2014 NFL season brings a challenge to the Minnesota Vikings that they're probably not ready for.
The Vikings return home to TCF Bank Stadium, which should be a good thing, but the opponent is the Green Bay Packers. Suffice to say that since the two teams were both 2-2 heading into their Week 5 matchup in Green Bay, their seasons have taken different turns.
The Packers steamrolled the Vikings 42-10 that night and have gone 4-1 since then, led by an offense that's simply scorching every team that gets in its way.
Minnesota, on the other hand, has stumbled along and gone 2-3 in its five games since falling to the Packers.
The Vikings' 21-13 loss to the Chicago Bears last Sunday was a tough pill to swallow, but it should serve as a pretty decent reality check.
The optimistic outlook for the Vikings before Sunday was that if they won and moved to 5-5, there was an outside shot that the team could rally down the stretch and make the playoffs. They did it in 2012, so why not this year?
Losing to a Bears team that had given up over 50 points in back-to-back losses has forced the Vikings and their fanbase to take a long look in the mirror.
The Vikings just aren't a playoff-quality football team right now.
That doesn't mean they can't still make some noise in their final six games of the season.
While it would be silly to predict an upset over the Packers, a team that's averaged over 39 points a game over its last seven contests, the Vikings can take strides forward.
Here are five bold predictions for the Vikings in their Week 12 matchup with the Packers.
Jerick McKinnon Will Rush for over 100 Yards
1 of 5
Adrian Peterson isn't coming back to the Vikings in 2014, as he was suspended for the remainder of the season on Tuesday afternoon by the NFL, as reported by Ken Belson of The New York Times.
Many, including Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, think Peterson's time with the Vikings is probably over after Tuesday's suspension.
While the Peterson situation still has some playing out to do, it would be wise for the Vikings to move forward as if Peterson won't be back.
Peterson obviously leaves massive shoes to fill, and now is as good a time as any for the Vikings to find out exactly what they have in rookie running back Jerick McKinnon.
Drafted in the third round this year out of Georgia Southern, McKinnon was brought in to be a change-of-pace player who would ease the load for Peterson. Obviously that plan went out the window when Peterson was placed on the exempt list after only playing in one game.
McKinnon started out backing up Matt Asiata but quickly established that he was the more productive player and had much more promise as a lead back. While he's not the home run threat Peterson is, McKinnon has shown plenty of ability since taking over as the Vikings' starter.
McKinnon has rushed for 489 yards and caught 24 passes for 126 yards in a rookie season where he's had to ramp up his playing time quickly. He's averaging an excellent 4.9 yards per carry, which ties him for fifth among running backs who've had over 70 attempts.
At just 5'9", 210 pounds, McKinnon probably isn't big enough to be a guy you need to count on for 20 carries a game, but he's earned the chance to see what his ceiling is.
Look for McKinnon to have a big afternoon against a Packers defense that ranks 29th in the league against the rush, giving up 139.2 yards a game.
The guess here is that McKinnon goes over 120 yards and scores his first NFL touchdown this Sunday against Green Bay.
Cordarrelle Patterson Will Finally Have an Impact
2 of 5
Heading into the 2014 season, two of the most exciting young prospects on the Minnesota Vikings offense were left tackle Matt Kalil and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
Exciting is certainly not the word anyone would prescribe to either player's season so far.
While Kalil has had a horrible season, it's Patterson who remains perhaps the most frustrating player on Minnesota's roster.
Expectations were probably too big after a rookie season where Patterson showed off otherworldly running skills on kick returns, handoffs and quick-hitting passes. It didn't help lessen anybody's hopes when Patterson caught a 53-yard bomb for a touchdown in the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs.
And then there was the first game of the season against the St. Louis Rams, when Patterson exploded for 102 rushing yards in just three carries, including a 67-yard touchdown run.
At that point you weren't alone in thinking the kid wasn't just going to be a star, but perhaps one of the best players in the league.
It hasn't happened.
His highlight reel has added perhaps two or three plays since opening day.
What's become apparent is that Norv Turner's offense doesn't employ bubble screens or jet sweeps very often. Unfortunately, those are about the limit of Patterson's abilities at the moment.
That will change.
Mike Zimmer still has high hopes for Patterson. He's a young kid who's a relative newbie to big-time football. Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune quotes Zimmer as saying the following about Patterson:
"He does some very, very good things. And then some things that you don’t like as much. I don’t think disappointed is the right word. I think youth might be right word.
I believe that he’s going to be a really good player, but everybody is impatient, including me, and I’m sure he is, too. It will come. It just may take a while.
"
The bottom line is that Patterson is an elite athlete, and his lack of production has to be gnawing at him. Look for Patterson to have at least one monster kick return and at least five catches for over 70 yards.
Harrison Smith Will Be Dominant
3 of 5
When the Vikings and Packers met on October 2 in Green Bay, Harrison Smith looked stupid on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson. He was turned around and just plain toasted by a brilliant double move by Nelson.
Smith certainly wasn't alone that night; plenty of Vikings defenders were made to look stupid. Rodgers and Nelson have been making a lot of defenders look stupid this year.
Not a lot of defenders get a second shot at the Packers each year, and very few defenders are as good as Harrison Smith. Look for the Vikings safety to exact some revenge this Sunday.
Will he get an interception? Well, Rodgers has the league's highest passer rating (by a wide margin) at 120.1. He's thrown just three interceptions in 313 pass attempts. With apologies to Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, Rodgers is the best quarterback in the game right now.
But to answer the question, yes, Smith will get his fifth interception of the season on Sunday. He'll have to make a great play—Rodgers very rarely throws bad balls—but he'll certainly get a lot of opportunities.
Rodgers might be feeling a little bulletproof right now after piling up over 50 points in back-to-back games. Vikings fans would hope that might make him maybe a little bit careless in his downfield throws to Nelson and Randall Cobb.
That's when Smith will swoop in and make a play. That's what he does.
Look for Smith to have double-digit tackles and an interception. It's a Vikings vs. Packers game, and big-time players step up. Smith is as big time as the Vikings have.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Teddy Bridgewater Will Throw for 300 Yards and 2 Touchdowns
4 of 5
Teddy Bridgewater has his first "cold weather" game now under his belt. It didn't go well.
Bridgewater threw for just 158 yards against the Bears last Sunday in Chicago, and perhaps for the first time this season, his arm strength was questionable. Where Jay Cutler had zip on the ball that cut through the windy winter air, Bridgewater needed a little more oomph on some throws.
He'll figure it out. You know who else hasn't been known for his very strong arm? Peyton Manning.
Bridgewater is a student of the game. Where one never got the sense that Christian Ponder was learning from his mistakes, Bridgewater is at least showing some adaptability.
He didn't play very well against the Bears. He'll bounce back against the Packers.
The Packers defense ranks 23rd in the league. The last three quarterbacks to play against it have averaged 310 yards passing a game. The Packers don't really care if you rack up a lot of passing yards against them, because if you choose to get into a shootout with Green Bay, you're probably going to lose.
We're not going to predict a Vikings victory, but we are going to predict that Bridgewater bounces back and has a nice game.
Look for Bridgewater to throw for over 250 yards and two touchdown passes.
Everson Griffen Will Get 2 Sacks
5 of 5
Everson Griffen had his five-game sack streak ended against the Bears last Sunday. He'll start a new one this week against the Packers.
Griffen leads the Vikings with nine sacks, which ranks eighth in the league, and his 37 tackles are first among Vikings defensive linemen.
The first-year starter is having a phenomenal season and proving why the Vikings gave him a five-year, $42.5 million deal this offseason. Griffen is one of the best athletes Minnesota has, and his combination of size (6'3", 273 lbs), strength and speed make him a nightmare to deal with for offensive linemen.
While Aaron Rodgers is great in the pocket and very nimble on his feet, you can get to him. He's been sacked 21 times on the season.
Griffen has been a player who's prone to hot streaks during his career. Before the Bears game he'd strung together perhaps the best four-game stretch of his career, racking up 24 tackles and six sacks.
While he wasn't bad against the Bears, he was close to getting to Cutler several times; he didn't put up the numbers he's been getting accustomed to, with just two tackles and no sacks.
Look for Griffen to have a bounce-back game against the Packers with two sacks and at least five tackles.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
