5 Vikings Questions with 5 Days Left Until the Regular Season
The Minnesota Vikings regular season opener is just five days away.
Minnesota will open their schedule by playing host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, September 10th. Prior to that matchup, here is a look at 5 Vikings questions that will finally begin to be answered when that game kicks off.
Will the Offensive Line Hold Up?
When healthy, the Vikings have one of the best offensive tackle duos in the league with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. However, Darrisaw has had injury troubles at different points in his first two NFL seasons while O’Neill suffered a partially torn Achilles down the stretch of the 2022 season.
Both players appear to be ready to go for Week 1, but in order to keep Kirk Cousins’ jersey clean, they will need to be healthy this year. Minnesota also needs to see some progress from RG Ed Ingram, and Garrett Bradbury is coming off a back injury that hindered him late in the year.
Cousins is now 35 years old, and he was hit a career-high 84 times last season. The QB has been an ironman throughout his NFL career, but in order to maximize the twilight years of his career, Minnesota needs to do a better job of protecting their QB1 in 2023.
What Does the Touch-Share Look Like in the Backfield?
Throughout the past 15 years or so, the Vikings have always had a workhorse in their backfield between Adrian Peterson and Dalvin Cook. This year, the Vikings are moving forward with Alexander Mattison as their starting RB, who has had strong games in his past filling in for Cook.
However, the Vikings have some strong depth at the running back position this year, including second-year player Ty Chandler and recent free agency acquisition Myles Gaskin. In order to help maximize Mattison, it would make sense to spell him a bit by getting some touches for the backups, so the touch-share in the backfield will be something to keep an eye on against the Buccaneers.
Who Emerges from the Pack in the Secondary?
The Vikings have a massive group of defensive backs, including five cornerbacks and a whopping six safeties. Many of these players outside of Cam Bynum, Byron Murphy, and Harrison Smith have very limited playing time in an NFL defense.
Akayleb Evans’ 10 NFL appearances actually ranks second amongst the Vikings cornerback room, and this week is Brian Flores’ first chance to showcase what he can do with the young unit. Against a savvy Buccaneers receiver room that includes Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, this secondary will hopefully be a pleasant surprise as the young players hope to make an early impact.
What Kind of Production Do We Get from Marcus Davenport?
Marcus Davenport’s early NFL career has been a bit of a mixed bag in terms of production. In 2021, he totaled 9.0 sacks over just 11 games despite playing through injuries. However, 2022 saw him put up just a half sack over 15 games.
The Vikings have been moving him all over the defensive line throughout training camp trying to see where he fits best. If Minnesota can get more of the 2021 production from Davenport, he could be a great complement to Danielle Hunter as a pass-rusher.
What Is Ivan Pace’s Immediate Role on the Defense?
Ivan Pace has become the UDFA storyline of the summer in the NFL. The linebacker has quickly risen up Minnesota’s depth chart and was the man featuring the green dot for the defense throughout preseason.
With both Jordan Hicks and Brian Asamoah around, though, it will be very interesting to see the type of role that Pace has on the Vikings defense heading into Week 1. He likely won’t be a starter, but there should be opportunities on third downs for him to get onto the field.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
