The Minnesota Vikings are going to be in for a dogfight on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Atlanta Falcons At Mercedes Benz Stadium.
It will also be the first game quarterback Kirk Cousins has ever missed due to injury in his National Football League career. That fact brings the first NFL start for quarterback Jaren Hall on Sunday.
The rookie from BYU is going to be surrounded by arguably the best situation in the NFL for a young quarterback and Justin Jefferson can’t return until next week. Can he step up in a major way for the Vikings and potentially be the franchise quarterback the Vikings have been hoping for? He is one of the players to watch on Sunday.
Managing editor Tyler Forness: TE T.J. Hockenson
The Vikings offense is going to look considerably different on Sunday afternoon with Jaren Hall under center. With Kevin O’Connell calling plays, having a rookie quarterback who is also a dual-threat will change things.
For a young quarterback, the tight end is one of the players that can make things easier. Hockenson has thrived on Y-choice routes all season and those can make Hall feel more comfortable by being a safety blanket. The Vikings are paying him top-of-the-market money and this is how Hockenson can continue proving he was worth the investment.
Columnist Judd Zulgad: QB Jaren Hall
The fifth-round pick in last April’s draft will make his starting debut during a season in which he was expected to watch and learn behind Kirk Cousins and Nick Mullens. The latter two are out, Cousins for the season with an Achilles’ injury, and that will give the former BYU starter a chance to show coach Kevin O’Connell that he’s ready. The Vikings added some insurance by trading for Joshua Dobbs this week, but the Vikings would be thrilled if Hall proves he can take the job. Hall is 25 years old – he will turn 26 in March – so maturity isn’t an issue but experience will be. Hall won’t be asked to run the offense like Cousins was but he also should add mobility that didn’t exist with Cousins.
Columnist Saivion Mixson: RBs Cam Akers and Alexander Mattison
Jaren Hall makes his first start as a Minnesota Viking on Sunday in hostile territory. The Falcons are 3-1 in Mercedez-Benz Stadium this season and in between the loud train whistle and fans screams bouncing off of the roof, it may be a bit hectic for a rookie’s first start. That means that his supporting cast is going to have to be at their best.
The run game for this Vikings team thus far has been underwhelming. They are 31st in yards and 28th in yards per attempt on the season. The Atlanta Falcons defense is eighth in yards per attempt allowed and has only let up one rushing touchdown. This is ironic since the Vikings only have gotten one rushing touchdown. At some point, this run game has to get going if the Vikings want to win this game. Getting Hall comfortable and in rhythm is priority number one. That can only happen if the running game keeps the defense honest.
Columnist Chris Spooner: WR Jordan Addison
There’s no two ways about it, all eyes are going to be on Jaren Hall for the Minnesota Vikings this week. Hall has to be the guy for the foreseeable future at the most important position on the team. But Hall is a backup for a reason, and he’s a rookie to boot. If he’s going to have any amount of success on Sunday – and for however long he remains the starter – he’s going to need a lot of help from the guys around him. That help this week is going to have to come first and foremost from his best receiver, Jordan Addison. Addison has played solid ball all season but has really come on strong the past two games in the absence of Justin Jefferson. If Hall has any hope of keeping the Vikings win streak going, he’s going to need to find Addison early and often. K.J. Osborn had a great game himself last week, and if he can keep that up it will certainly take some pressure off, but it’s going to up to Addison to be THE guy in the wide receiver corps.
