Minnesota Vikings Can't Afford to Miss Tackles in Week 3 Matchup with Chargers

The Minnesota Vikings better have a strong tackling performance Sunday afternoon if the club expects to beat the San Diego Chargers in Week 3. 

With an offense featuring the NFL's most accurate passer and a number of receivers capable of chewing up yards after the catch, the Chargers figure to put heavy stress on Minnesota's ability to get the ball-carrier on the ground. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the Vikings have missed 18 tackles this season, including 13 in Minnesota's Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Big improvements looked to be made last Sunday, when the Vikings missed just five during a dominant defensive performance against the Detroit Lions.

Week 3 needs to play out much like Week 2 for Minnesota. The Chargers make a living off making tacklers miss.

Through the first two games, San Diego ranks first in the NFL in yards after the catch:

	Team	YAC
1.	Chargers	442
2.	Saints	429
3.	Eagles	385
4.	Cowboys	355
5.	Patriots	345

Quarterback Philip Rivers' top two receivers are a big reason why.

Slot receiver Stevie Johnson has already caught a number of screen passes, including a 10-yard score against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. He also turned a short pass over the middle into a 12-yard touchdown in the season opener against the Lions. Johnson has been dynamic as an underneath option for Rivers. 

No. 1 receiver Keenan Allen torched the Lions for 166 receiving yards in Week 1, with most coming after the catch. 

The numbers for the pair are impressive. 

Johnson has the fourth-most yards after the catch among all receivers in 2015, tallying 101. Keenan Allen ranks ninth with 82. Together, the two have combined to create 183 additional yards on 28 total receptions—good for an average of over 6.5 yards after the catch. 

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

	Team	YAC	YAC/Rec
1. Antonio Brown	PIT	121	6.7
2. Julio Jones	ATL	115	5.2
3. Amari Cooper	OAK	105	8.8
4. Stevie Johnson	SD	101	9.2
5. Jordan Matthews	PHI	99	6.2
6. Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG	94	7.8
7. Julian Edelman	NE	92	4.2
7. Jarvis Landry	MIA	92	5.8
9. Keenan Allen	SD	82	4.8
10. Randall Cobb	GB	74	5.7

Rivers has been the point guard for San Diego's run-and-gun offense. 

The Chargers quarterback has completed an NFL-high 81.5 percent of his passes this season, with only 13 incompletions on 69 attempts. He's averaging over 300 passing yards per game and 9.3 yards per attempt. 

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer called Rivers "one of the best quarterbacks of all time."

"Philip, he’s the ring leader and he makes them go when he gets the ball," Zimmer said, via Hayley Elwood of Chargers.com. "He always seems to get the ball in the right place versus the right coverage. He stands in there and gets the ball out at the right time.”

Rivers is doing the majority of his damage underneath.

According to Pro Football Focus, Rivers has attempted just three passes over 20 yards. Of his 69 total attempts, 52 have come either under 10 yards downfield or behind the line of scrimmage. 

Overall, 442 of Rivers' 645 passing yards have been the result of passes completed under 10 yards—meaning his receivers are doing plenty of work after the catch. 

	Rec	YAC
Danny Woodhead	10	105
Steve Johnson	11	102
Keenan Allen	17	82
Ladarius Green	10	77
Melvin Gordon	4	47
Branden Oliver	1	23

The Chargers running backs are also creating problems. Danny Woodhead leads the team in yards after the catch, while rookie Melvin Gordon has created 47 yards after his four receptions. Even tight end Ladarius Green has been a handful in the open field. 

The Vikings better be up to the task on Sunday.

Rivers is going to get the football out of his hands and to his playmakers. From there, Johnson, Allen, Woodhead and a cast of others have made life difficult on defenses. 

Minnesota needs to rally to the football on every snap. The linebackers and cornerbacks will be especially stressed, as Rivers has already shown a tendency to throw underneath this season. Linebackers Anthony Barr, Gerald Hodges and Eric Kendricks need to play well, while cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and Terence Newman can't allow too much separation early in routes. 

The Vikings are capable of playing well against the Chargers' multipronged attack, but it will take a team effort in the tackling department.  

Zach Kruse covers the Vikings for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2