The Minnesota Vikings take on the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at 3:25 PM CST. After a disappointing 0-3 start, the Vikings scraped out their first win against the Carolina Panthers last week to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Vikings’ defense could do no wrong as they kept the Carolina Panthers out of the end zone for all sixty minutes. They hounded rookie quarterback Bryce Young for six pressures and five sacks.
Buy Vikings TicketsThe debut of Marcus Davenport proved to be impactful, Harrison Smith turned back the hands of time while the defense was clicking on all cylinders. D.J. Wonnum’s scoop-and-score was the first defensive touchdown since Patrick Peterson’s 66-yard pick-six at the end of the 2021 season.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the top-ten scoring offense will pose a formidable challenge for the Vikings, who seem to have found their stride. Let’s look at four keys for Brian Flores and this Minnesota defense to contain the Chiefs and keep this positive momentum going.
Keep eyes on Travis Kelce
Without playing the opening weekend, Travis Kelce ties for fifth in targets and sixth in receptions among tight ends. It is no secret that Kelce is Mahomes’ favorite target, especially with the next volume target-getter being rookie Rashee Rice.
While Kansas City loves to get the ball to everyone and make all five eligible receivers on the field a threat, if they can get the ball to Kelce, they will. And they will do it as often as they can.
An extra eye needs to be on Kelce and force someone else to beat you like Detroit did in week one. If Rice or Skyy Moore have big days, so be it, but Minnesota has no chance if the Mahomes to Kelce connection gets going early.
Be strategic with pressure
What makes Mahomes so dangerous is his ability to navigate inside and outside of the pocket. His ability to find enough space to get the right throw off is borderline impossible.
Brian Flores brought pressure in a more strategic manner against Bryce Young after getting carved up at an alarming rate by Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. The career days from Herbert and receiver Keenan Allen gave Flores something to think about, and we saw a shift in philosophy against Carolina. Promising signs that this Minnesota defense has counters to different styles of play.
Keeping Mahomes uncomfortable is priority number one and a very tall task. However, Flores will have a chance to change the looks of the Minnesota defense as he sees fit to duel Andy Reid and his unique offensive sets.
Contain the run
This Kansas City run game used to be a sideshow to the Reid-Mahomes-Kelce theatrics in the passing game. Now, with the addition of the hard-nosed Isiah Pacheco, this run game has a chance to be just as prolific as the run game.
Seeing the creativity in the run game from Reid and getting Pacheco, Moore and McKinnon in space is impressive. Pullers are coming from everywhere, there are crack blocks that linebackers and defensive linemen don’t see coming, this running game is a ton of fun to watch. Just not to defend.
Harrison Phillips and the rest of that defensive line will be charged with keeping the run-game to a minimum and getting this offense off-script.
Bend, but don't break
The thing with this Kansas City offense is that they are going to score. Mahomes gets the ball out too fast and Reid is too good of a play-caller not to score.
So, as a defense, you hold teams like Kansas City’s to field goals instead of touchdowns. If you have a chance to get them off the field, get them off the field. Against Detroit and Jacksonville, where the Chiefs scored a total of 37 between the two games, they were 9/27 on third down.
These are the kinds of numbers the Minnesota defense will need to keep the ball in the offense’s hands and keep Mahomes and company out of rhythm.
