The Vikings Have a Weapon that’s Undefeated Against Patrick Mahomes
K. Joudry
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The Vikings have a challenging game on Sunday, largely due to who is slinging the football in Kansas City. Since being taken 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, Patrick Mahomes has made a habit of making defenses look silly (lately, Minnesota’s defense hasn’t needed any extra help in that department, but I digress).
His arm talent is off the charts and his seemingly innate feel for where his receivers are going to be is the kind of thing that can’t be taught. Mahomes is, in a word, elite. For his efforts, Mahomes has five Pro Bowls, two first-team All Pro distinctions (alongside a second-team honor), a pair of MVP awards, and an Offensive Player of the Year Award. Oh, and let’s not forget the three Super Bowl appearances, games where he was triumphant twice (he has a pair of SB MVP trophies, as well).
Nevertheless, Minnesota has a weapon that has repeatedly proven that it’s capable of corralling Mahomes: the bench.
Admittedly, that answer is going to be largely unsatisfying to many.
More compelling, perhaps, would be a defensive coordinator who routinely confounds and confuses the future Hall of Famer. Or maybe an edge rusher who is constantly getting into the QB’s lap or a corner who shuts down his top option. In truth, the Vikings may be lacking those players (but Byron Murphy and Danielle Hunter have an important part to play). What they’ll need instead is a full-team commitment to keeping Mahomes off of the field.
The Vikings Have a Weapon to Counter Patrick Mahomes
The Vikings will fail spectacularly if shutting down Mahomes comes down to just a handful of players.
He’s at such a level that the best way to overcome him is to lean on a fully unified effort. Offensively, there needs to be long, methodical drives that chew up the clock. The Chiefs’ QB1 can’t be tossing touchdown passes if his backside is on the bench.
Meanwhile, the defense is going to need to find a way of getting off the field, a task that’s easier said than done.
If Brian Flores has an exotic blitz that’s sure to overwhelm the protection, then Week 5 would be a good time to use it. More sensible may be an approach that involves stacking Danielle Hunter and Marcus Davenport, letting the twin pass rushers work off of each other in an effort to get them into one-on-one matchups.
Last week, the Carolina Panthers dominated the time of possession. Frank Reich’s team had the football for a whopping 38:29. Since it’s the Panthers, the Vikings could still walk away with a win, but that’ll be next to impossible against the Chiefs.
Take a look at how the time of possession battle has gone in 2023:
| Week 1 | Bucs — 30:39 | Vikings — 29:21 |
| Week 2 | Eagles — 39:28 | Vikings — 20:32 |
| Week 3 | Chargers — 26:47 | Vikings — 33:13 |
| Week 4 | Panthers — 38:29 | Vikings — 21:31 |
Coaches regularly preach about the importance of the ball itself. And, to be sure, there’s good reason for emphasizing the real, tangible football. After all, almost every way to score is predicated on possessing the football. By extension, the opposition can’t score if one’s own team has possession (excluding safeties, a rare play).
Kansas City is known as an offense-first enterprise, but their defense has been having an excellent season. Currently, Steve Spagnuolo’s crew is allowing an average of just 15 points against per game. Kevin O’Connell thus needs to brew up something extra special in time for Sunday.
In a lot of instances, that’s going to mean finding a way of ensuring the Alexander Mattison/Cam Akers twosome continues finding room to run. Josh Oliver — The Ballerina Bruiser — has a part to play as someone capable of blocking and catching at a high level. Justin Jefferson is ultra explosive and yet he’s also someone who is fully capable of moving the chains via shorter passes. Ditto for T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison.
Replicating last week’s paltry effort on 3rd down — going just 1/8 for a brutal 12.5% conversion rate — can’t happen on Sunday. Extending drives will be vital since it means Mahomes has to spend a few more moments with a tablet in his hand talking to his QB coach.
Defensively, the Vikings will need to be somewhat opportunistic. No time like the present to finally win the turnover battle. Stripping the ball and/or plucking it out of the sky has double appeal since it kicks Mahomes over to the sidelines while simultaneously allowing Kirk Cousins to rebound from his poor effort in Carolina.
The solutions proposed in this piece are, of course, far easier said than done (especially as someone who is neither a coach nor a player). The underlying idea, though, is sound. Patrick Mahomes is incapable of taking over a game he isn’t actively playing in. That does not mean playing dirty but, rather, playing smartly. Play hard, clean, physical football that involves Minnesota holding onto the ball for 35+ minutes.
If the team has the right game plan and the right contributions from players like Mattison, Oliver, Jefferson, Hockenson, and so many others, the Vikings could step away from Week 5 with a 2-3 record and a date with the flailing Chicago Bears.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.