Can Vikings Handle Chiefs' Fearsome Pass Rush in Week 6?

The Minnesota Vikings have had the better part of three weeks to prepare for the pass rush associated with the 3-4 defense: a week of prep for the Denver Broncos, a bye week to make corrections and another week of game-planning for Sunday's showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The Vikings must now handle the second dose of an attacking 3-4 front better than the first.

In Denver, Minnesota was overwhelmed by edge-rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, the two headliners of the league's top pass rush. An opportunity to upset the unbeaten Broncos blew up when safety T.J. Ward came unblocked off the right edge and strip-sacked quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, ending the game on Denver's seventh sack of the contest. 

The Chiefs' best chance at snapping the team's four-game losing streak and upsetting the Vikings on Sunday will also come via the pass rush.

	QB Sacks	QB Hits	QB Hurries	Total
Home (2 games)	1	4	10	15
Away (2 games)	12	6	25	43

Kansas City will be without running back Jamaal Charles, who left its Week 5 loss to the Chicago Bears after he crumbled to the turf following an awkward cut. It was confirmed this week that Charles tore his ACL for a second time, bringing an end to his 2015 season after just four-and-a-half games. A team already struggling to consistently move the football will now arrive in Minnesota without its top offensive player. 

No Charles likely means the Chiefs will need short fields to score touchdowns. And the best way to create short fields is to produce turnovers, which often are the direct result of pressure on the opposing quarterback. 

The Vikings know all about allowing disruption. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Bridgewater has been under pressure on 57 of his 136 dropbacks this season, or almost 42 percent. He's been sacked 14 times and hit on 10 others. 

While the sophomore quarterback was surprisingly good under duress as a rookie, the numbers tell a different story in 2015.

When operating from a disrupted pocket this season, Bridgewater has completed 50 percent of his passes with two interceptions and a passer rating of 50.5. He's likely saved the Vikings offense at least a half-dozen or so sacks with his pocket feel and athleticism, but consistently facing pressure is no way for a young quarterback to grow.

Peter Aiken/Getty Images

There's a good chance Bridgewater will need to improvise inside the pocket once again Sunday. Like the Broncos, the Chiefs feature a pair of strong edge-rushers in Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. Houston led the league in sacks a year ago with 22, while Hali has made five Pro Bowl teams. Kansas City also mixes in former first-round pick Dee Ford on the edge. 

Bridgewater said he sees similarities and differences in the pass rush of Kansas City and Denver, via the team's official site:

"

Last week’s guys [Denver], those guys are active. This week, these guys [Kansas City] do some things different than what Denver does. They’re primarily the same scheme, we know that it’s going to give us some challenges but we’re going to put together a game plan that’s going to allow us to just go out there and play at our best.

"

Head coach Mike Zimmer mostly agreed. 

"Some ways they do similar things and in some ways they’re different," Zimmer said. "Obviously they’ve got two good edge-rushers and they play a lot of man-to-man. They’re very stout up front in the middle. Linebackers are fast, but they have a few more fronts than probably Denver did."

The experience in Denver will either provide a blueprint for what Minnesota needs to clean up or give Kansas City the necessary ammo for making Bridgewater's life difficult for another week. The Vikings quarterback is working under the impression that facing a similar defense two games in a row is a good thing. 

"Definitely," Bridgewater said. "The more you see it, the more comfortable you get, the more familiar you become with it."

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Recent opponents of the Chiefs have provided the Vikings a gateway for dealing with Kansas City's pressure. It's not a difficult adjustment: just get the ball out of the quarterback's hand.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected on 19 of his 24 passes thrown nine yards or less, per Pro Football Focus. Green Bay scored 38 points, while Rodgers was hit only two times. 

A week later, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton averaged just a shade over 2.2 seconds to throw on his 26 dropbacks. He threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns and didn't absorb a hit or sack from the Chiefs defense. 

Bridgewater has the capacity to replicate both quarterbacks. He is connecting on almost 84 percent of his passes thrown nine yards or less in 2015. And when holding the ball for less than 2.5 seconds, Bridgewater has completed almost 80 percent of his passes, with a passer rating of 95.8. 

Scheme will have to win out. The Vikings can't exactly count on a sudden improvement from a mix-and-match offensive line, especially not against a pass rush playing as well as that of the Chiefs. 

Without knowing it, Bridgewater and the Minnesota offense have been prepping for Sunday's matchup for almost a month. The experience—when combined with the clues left by Green Bay and Cincinnati—could be enough for the Vikings to handle Kansas City's attacking front. If Minnesota does, a win and a 3-2 record should be right around the corner. 

Zach Kruse covers the Vikings for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2