Keys to a Vikings Win in Buffalo
Josh Frey
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Everyone has had this weekend circled on the Minnesota Vikings schedule since it came out. It’s the Bills vs. the Vikings in a battle between two of the better teams in the league this year.
The Bills have one of the most talented rosters in the entire league, and the Vikings have been a major surprise to many across the country. Now, with the two on a collision course over the next 24 hours, here are the keys to a Vikings win in Buffalo this weekend.
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Create Pressure
The Buffalo Bills are terrific in many aspects of a football game. They have one of the best QBs in the league, a strong skill position group, a stout defense, but the offensive line is the one area that consistently has been suspect on this team.
Outside of left tackle Dion Dawkins, the player with the highest PFF grade is right tackle Spencer Brown at 61.9. With the duo of Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith, as well as strong players along the interior defensive line, the Vikings have a great chance to put pressure on Josh Allen on Sunday.
Additionally, the Vikings have one of the best run defenses in all the NFL this year, allowing just 4.2 yards per carry through their first eight games. The Bills offense is one of eight groups in the NFL averaging more than at least five yards per carry. If Minnesota can shut this down, and force Buffalo to become one dimensional, that drastically improves their chances of winning.
Win the Ground Game
Buffalo’s defensive abilities were mentioned earlier, but it cannot be overstated just how good this group has been. They rank among the top five in passing yards allowed, and they have allowed the sixth fewest yards on the ground.
This strength against the run has forced opponents’ drives to stall out, particularly at home. In Buffalo, the Bills have allowed opponents into the red zone just 2.3 times per game.
We’ve seen the Vikings offense struggle to put drives together when they can’t run the ball (see their only loss of the season to the Philadelphia Eagles). If Minnesota wants to win this game, they need their duo of Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison to show up.
Vikings Depth Defenders Show Up
The Vikings got bad news this week regarding their defense. They announced on Saturday afternoon that starting CB Cameron Dantzler would be hitting IR.
It seems likely that rookie fourth-round pick Akayleb Evans will be his replacement, and his first start won’t be easy going against the duo of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Through eight games, these two receivers have put together 1308 yards and 11 TDs. It’s possible that we finally see second-round pick Andrew Booth take the field again for a few snaps, too.
Dantzler isn’t the only defensive starter that won’t be available to the Vikings, though. It looks like starting DE Dalvin Tomlinson will miss his second consecutive game as well, and that means the Vikings will once again rely on Ross Blacklock and James Lynch to rotate in and out of his spot. For the Vikings to win, they will need their depth defenders to do their part for the Vikings to win in Buffalo.
Greg Joseph
After a rather tough start to the 2022 season, Greg Josph bounced back with a perfect kicking day in Washington last weekend. He hit all four of his kicks, including the game-winning field goal towards the end of regulation.
This was the first time he didn’t have a missed kick since Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, He made his only extra point attempt during that Monday night loss. Since then, in the five games the Vikings played from Weeks 3 to 8, Joseph was 6/11 on field goal attempts, and he made 13/16 extra point attempts.
Against one of the premier Super Bowl contenders in the NFL, the Vikings cannot afford to leave points on the field with missed kicks. That certainly becomes tougher considering the notorious winds that can occur in Buffalo, New York.
The current forecast calls for winds in excess of 10 mph at kickoff, and there’s a chance of rain or snow throughout the day. The Vikings need a perfect day from their kicker, but he has to work through difficult conditions to pull that off. If he can do so, that will amplify the Vikings chance to win in Buffalo this weekend.
The Vikings Game This Week
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.