Chiefs vs. Vikings: Full Minnesota Game Preview

The longest week of the NFL season for Minnesota Vikings (2-2) fans has come and gone, as Mike Zimmer's club comes out of its Week 5 bye to host a decimated Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) team at TCF Bank Stadium this Sunday.

While the Vikings were catching up on sleep and nursing nagging injuries, the Chiefs were in the midst of a disastrous Week 5 matchup with the Chicago Bears (2-3) that will be remembered as a definitive turning point for Kansas City in 2015.

Not only did the Chiefs suffer their fourth defeat of the season, but the immediate success of the organization took a far more substantial blow when franchise running back Jamaal Charles suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the midst of a third-quarter rush attempt. As Charles made his cut toward an opening hole on the left side of Kansas City's offensive line, his knee gave out prior to any contact being made, tearing ligaments in his right knee.

Coincidentally, Charles was inactive due to a torn left ACL the last time Minnesota faced Kansas City in 2011. Despite not being forced to stop the explosive Kansas City rusher, the Donovan McNabb-led Vikings still fell to the Chiefs, 22-17.

Minnesota will aim to snap a two-game skid against Kansas City this weekend, having also lost 13-10 to the Chiefs in Week 3 of the 2007 season.

In a matchup of teams trending in different directions, Minnesota will almost certainly lean heavily on running back Adrian Peterson to avoid Kansas City's elite pass-rushing duo of linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali as often as possible.

The loss of Charles combined with an extra week of preparation for Minnesota has given this contest the appearance of a mismatch, making this a must-win game for a Vikings team with January football on its mind.

Location: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis

Time: Noon CT/1 p.m. ET

TV: Channel 4 CBS WCCO (Local)

Week 4 Results and Recap

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Minnesota entered its bye following a heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the Denver Broncos while playing away from home at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium.

Although the final score was ultimately very close, the Vikings did not get off to a very good start against the Peyton Manning-led Broncos. Blair Walsh's season-long struggles continued as Minnesota's kicker missed a 38-yard attempt, setting up excellent field position for Denver in the process.

The Broncos capitalized immediately, as running back Ronnie Hillman took a 72-yard carry the distance to open up a 10-0 advantage early in the second quarter. The double-digit deficit held true for the vast majority of the first half, but a second-quarter mistake by Manning opened up a big opportunity for the Vikings.

Linebacker Anthony Barr stepped in front of a short pass attempt by the Denver quarterback, giving Minnesota excellent field position with under two minutes to play before halftime. Teddy Bridgewater capped off a quick scoring drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace with just a few ticks over 10 seconds remaining.

After cutting the deficit to three moments before time expired in the second quarter, Manning opened up the third quarter with a long touchdown drive capped off with a touchdown by Owen Daniels on fourth down.

But the Vikings had zero intention of going down easily, as the team responded with its own touchdown on fourth down. Adrian Peterson, who had been slowed quite a bit early in the game, housed a 4th-and-1 attempt from 48 yards out.

Walsh later tied the game at 20 apiece with a 33-yard field that just managed to sneak through the uprights. Minnesota, however, left way too much time on the clock for the Broncos offense, as Manning led the Broncos to what proved to be a difference-making field goal by Brandon McManus.

The Vikings had an opportunity to knot the score up at 23 with under two minutes remaining in regulation, but poor blocking by rookie T.J. Clemmings and a failed blitz pickup attempt by Peterson gave star pass-rusher Von Miller a wide open shot at Bridgewater, who put the ball on the ground and into the hands of the Broncos, effectively ending a potential game-winning drive.

NFC North Standings

Team	W	L	T	PCT	DIF	GB
Green Bay Packers	5	0	0	1.000	+56	-
Minnesota Vikings	2	2	0	.500	+7	2.5
Chicago Bears	2	3	0	.400	-56	3
Detroit Lions	0	5	0	.000	-55	5

News and Notes

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Antone Exum Next Man Up?

Harrison Smith has been the best safety in the NFL through five weeks this season, but both Robert Blanton and Andrew Sendejo have been abysmal playing opposite of him. It may be the end of the road for both of Smith's 2014 safety partners, however, as Antone Exum is in the on-deck circle, according to Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.

Exum, a former sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech, has shown flashes of great instincts and coverage ability but has apparently been held back due to a lack of understanding of the playbook. It appears as if Mike Zimmer's patience with Blanton and Sendejo has run out, as he did not shy away from the possibly of him starting this weekend.

"Potentially, if I feel good about him," Zimmer said of Exum.

It was really just a matter of time before Exum was given a shot, as both Blanton and Sendejo have struggled mightily in multiple areas. If chosen to fill the void next to Smith, Sunday will mark Exum's first start at the NFL level.

John Sullivan, Josh Robinson Nearing Return

After essentially losing a different key player each week or so over the past month, the Vikings finally received some positive news on the injury front, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN. Both starting center John Sullivan and cornerback Josh Robinson are expected to return to the Vikings in the coming weeks.

"I think I should be good [to play]," cornerback Robinson said of a potential Week 7 return. "I'll let them make the decision, but I think I should be good."

Sullivan, on the other hand, is targeting a Week 8 return against a formidable St. Louis Rams defensive line. Given how the Vikings' interior offensive linemen have played this year, having a goal and tentative date of return is huge for Minnesota.

Robinson, on the other hand, may not have a very large role—if one at all—upon return from injury, making Sullivan's potential Nov. 8 return the real date to monitor.

Eric Kendricks Era Officially Begins

The Vikings made a shocking trade that sent linebacker Gerald Hodges to the San Francisco 49ers this past weekend in exchange for a backup offensive lineman and a late-round pick. It was a stunning move, but it became much more clear when the Vikings announced rookie linebacker Eric Kendricks will be moving into a starting role, per Vensel.

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“All the opportunity is mine right now. I’m extremely excited,” Kendricks said after getting caught in traffic on the way to the showers.

“I always feel like the speed of the game wasn’t that much of an issue to me. … It’s my patience that is definitely a key,” he said. “As long as I get more patient and know when to be patient and when to go fast, I’ll fit into this defense.”

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Kendricks, who has struggled from time to time in every facet of his position, has been as advertised more often than not. The former UCLA stud has shown growth in coverage and is doing a better job finishing tackles.

Hodges was a solid player for the Vikings throughout his tenure, but he's expendable with a 23-year-old like Kendricks on the Vikings roster.

Bonus News and Notes

The following list is composed of general team information, updates and matchup-specific statistics relating to Minnesota's Week 5 contest with Kansas City.

• Gerald Hodges Trade Changes Everything (via Chris Tomasson, St. Paul Pioneer Press)
• Adrian Peterson Compares Himself to Michael Jordan (via Gabrielle McMillen, Sporting News)
• Newest Viking Nick Easton Studying Up (via Jason Gonzalez, Star Tribune)
• Vikings Historically Struggle Coming Off a Bye Week (via Goessling, ESPN)
• Chiefs' Dontari Poe Suffers Ankle Injury (via Joel Thorman, Arrowhead Pride)
• Xavier Rhodes Practices with Boxing Gloves on (via Andrew Krammer, 1500 ESPN)

Latest Injury News

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Player	Position	Injury
Jarius Wright	WR	Hand
Mike Wallace	WR	Knee
Charles Johnson	WR	Rib
Justin Trattou	DE	Foot
Audie Cole	LB	Ankle
Jabari Price	CB	Shoulder
Andrew Sendejo	S	Knee

All injury information courtesy of Vikings.com.

The Vikings' official injury report for Week 6 is a bit crowded, but it appears to feature more bark than bite. Both Jarius Wright and Jabari Price practiced in full on Wednesday while Audie Cole, Andrew Sendejo and Charles Johnson were limited. Mike Wallace and Justin Trattou were not practicing, but the veteran wide receiver is confident he will be active this weekend, according to Tomasson:

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#Vikings WR Mike Wallace said he took a helmet to the knee but he expects to play Sunday against KC

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) October 14, 2015"

Trattou, who did not play last week, may be forced to miss Sunday's contest against the Chiefs as well, but he has not been ruled out just yet.

Johnson, who is reportedly dealing with strained rib cartilage, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN, is the only other player with the potential to be inactive this weekend:

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#Vikings WR Charles Johnson is believed to be dealing with strained rib cartilage, source said. Very painful for a WR to play with.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) October 14, 2015"

Minnesota will continue to monitor the young wide receiver throughout the rest of the week with a decision likely to be expected over the weekend:

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WR Charles Johnson back at practice but said #Vikings "still evaluating'' if he'll play Sunday vs. KC. "Just taking it 1 step at a time.''

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) October 14, 2015"

If Johnson—or Wallace for that matter—is able to play, it will once again open up the doors for the explosive Stefon Diggs, assuming they are not open already. Given the status of Johnson's injury and the way Diggs played last week, it may be in the Vikings' best interest to let Johnson recover for another week and see if the former Maryland standout can deliver back-to-back standout performances.

Key Matchups

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

RT T.J. Clemmings vs. LB Justin Houston

The Vikings match up pretty well with the Chiefs as a whole, but the image of right tackle T.J. Clemmings attempting to stop elite pass-rusher Justin Houston this weekend should terrify Vikings fans after seeing what Von Miller was able to accomplish last week.

Houston, who recorded 22 sacks in 2014, has not been getting to the quarterback as often as he would like this season. According to Pro Football Focus, however, Houston still ranks second to only Miller with 26 pressures through five weeks. Simply, he's still having a monstrous effect week in and week out despite not getting to the quarterback at a record-breaking pace (yet).

Minnesota will certainly give Clemmings help, but will Adrian Peterson's substandard pass blocking and some tight end help be enough? There is not much danger on the Chiefs roster this week with Jamaal Charles out and Dontari Poe expected to miss the game, but Houston is a one-man wrecking crew.

The Vikings cannot afford to let Bridgewater be sacked an absurd amount of times in consecutive weeks, as that's just asking for an injury.

QB Teddy Bridgewater vs. Chiefs' Pass Defense

Cornerback Marcus Peters has put together a pretty solid rookie year, but it has not been enough to keep Kansas City's defensive secondary afloat. Cancer survivor Eric Berry and former Viking Husain Abdullah have been outstanding and are really the only glue keeping this group together.

According to Pro Football Focus, Sean Smith (minus-0.4), Tyvon Branch (minus-2.5), Jamell Fleming (minus-8.0), Marcus Cooper (minus-1.1) and Phillip Gaines have all been dreadful in pass coverage this year, which should allow Bridgewater to make quicker decisions this Sunday. 

Bridgewater, who threw for 269 passing yards and a touchdown, had his first strong game from a box score perspective against the Broncos. With the amount of holes that there are in Kansas City's secondary and Minnesota's signal-caller appearing to be trending in the right direction, Bridgewater could be loading up for a big night statistical performance.

Vikings' Front Seven vs. Chiefs' Running Backs

Jamaal Charles is out, and he is not coming back anytime soon, which means Knile Davis and Charcandrick West will be in charge of breaking through Minnesota's wall of a run defense. Both players possess skill at the position, but it remains to be seen if they can come in and immediately play at a high level as Charles had been and will continue to once he returns next season.

The pair of replacement rushers have a tall task ahead of them in Minnesota's suffocating run defense, and being only one week removed from losing Charles only makes this worse. This is a matchup Minnesota should dominate, but West has shown an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield—something Theo Riddick burned the Vikings for on multiple occasions back in Week 2. 

Matchup X-Factors

Tom Dahlin/Getty Images

Vikings X-Factor of the Week: DE Everson Griffen

The Chiefs and Vikings are actually pretty similar in terms of pass-rushing excellence and pass-blocking inferiority. Everson Griffen, who has three sacks this season, could be in store for a big night going up against left tackle Donald Stephenson.

Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith tends to get the ball out of his hands before trouble arrives, but Stephenson has played so poorly in pass protection this season that even a quick release is not enough. According to Pro Football Focus, Stephenson has allowed a total of 19 pressures this season, which includes two sacks.

By comparison, only 21 of 203 qualifying pass-rushers around the NFL have accounted for 19 or more pressures on quarterbacks this season—Griffen, of course, being one of them, per Pro Football Focus.

If Griffen is able to get in Smith's grill all afternoon, it's hard to imagine a Kansas City team without Jamaal Charles being competitive.

Chiefs X-Factor of the Week: LB Justin Houston

Linebacker Justin Houston may be the most important athlete playing on Sunday, as he has the ability to get to the quarterback with ridiculous frequency and has an astronomical matchup advantage. Kansas City has very little firepower left on offense following the loss of Charles, which means its best chance of winning this game is with dominating defense.

Houston is one of a very select few defensive players who can take over a game for short spans of time. If the Vikings can't block him on Sunday, Minnesota may not necessarily be in trouble, but it certainly makes this matchup more winnable for Kansas City.

Prediction: Vikings 27, Chiefs 13

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Without a nucleus, a cell cannot function.

Jamaal Charles is the nucleus of the Chiefs—it definitely is not Alex Smith. In time, this team will adapt to the loss of its star running back, but it is very hard to imagine that it will be able to do so a week later against a savage group of Vikings pass-rushers.

Charles has been on the field for 267 snaps this season and has touched the ball on 91 occasions—either as a rusher or receiver—which means he has been in charge of Kansas City's offensive success on 34 percent of his snaps this season, per Pro Football Focus.

If his 43 blocking snaps are removed from this study, Charles receives the ball on 40.6 percent of his action snaps—which is definitively impossible to replace, especially in just one week.

Running backs Knile Davis and Charcandrick West will attempt to fill the massive void left by Charles, but even an average day from Minnesota's defense should be enough to keep Kansas City in check long enough for Teddy Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson to build an insurmountable advantage against a dreadful Chiefs pass defense.

The only way Kansas City is able to compete with Minnesota is if quarterback Smith provides a spark, which is something he has essentially never done in his entire career.

Minnesota was already the better team on paper prior to the injuries to Charles and Dontari Poe, but losing an absolutely vital player on both sides of the ball spells out disaster.

Do not be surprised if Bridgewater, Peterson and the Vikings defense all play well this Sunday; the Chiefs are just simply in no position to stop Minnesota. If wide receiver Stefon Diggs is active—and utilized—he is another nice candidate for a big game given that he played exceptionally against a great pass defense last week.

Simply, if Minnesota does not defeat Kansas City easily—which is what a two-touchdown win represents—then it likely did not play very well. The Vikings move to 3-2 with a dominant performance and 27-13 victory over the Smith-led Chiefs.