MIN at TEN: Finishing Off a Third-Straight AFC South Game with an 8-2 Record
MIN at TEN: Week 11
Currently, Minnesota and Tennessee find themselves in a different spot.
Ran Carthon’s Titans are sitting on a 2-7 record as they try to decide whether Will Levis is their quarterback of the future. Making life more difficult for the young passer is the simple fact that the trade deadline involved shipping out DeAndre Hopkins, a veteran receiver who can make life easier for any passer. Can the Titans still pull off a win? Even with the game on the road, the Vikings have no business losing to the Titans, a team that has only overcome Miami and New England in 2024.
MIN at TEN: A Game The Vikings Need to Have
Start off with what Tennessee does well.
For starters, their passing defense looks formidable. In the NFL, no team has allowed fewer passing yards overall. Across nine games, Tennessee has allowed just 1,410 yards, which works out to 157 yards (roughly) per game. Sam Darnold is going to need to be crisp in order to bounce back from his poor effort in Week 10.
Their defensive front is going to be a problem for Minnesota.
Jeffery Simmons is an excellent defensive tackle. Beside him is T’Vondre Sweat, who is a huge player: 6’4″ and 362. Any chance we see the Blake Brandel – Garrett Bradbury – Ed Ingram trio overwhelmed at different points?
Even worse, the edge boasts Arden Key and Harold Landry III, a pair of players who aren’t as commonly mentioned among the league’s best pass rushers but who are nevertheless quite good. Tennessee’s roster strength — the defensive front — looks like a ticking time bomb since they’re going against one of Minnesota’s roster weaknesses — the interior offensive line.
On offense, Tony Pollard is doing some good things. The former Cowboy is 11th in the NFL by rushing for 666 yards. He has a trio of touchdowns and is averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Minnesota’s run defense is no joke, so look for Brian Flores to ensure Pollard has a quiet day while shifting the emphasis over to Tennessee’s passers.
Indeed, it’s going to be Will Levis (the 39th-ranked passer on PFF) and/or Mason Rudolph (the 35th-ranked passer on PFF). Collectively, the pair of passers are completing 64.1% of their passes for 1,523 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. So, we’re pretty far off from, say, vintage Peyton Manning or Tom Brady.
Minnesota’s path to victory involves keeping the Titans’ defensive front off balance by showing that they’re capable of attacking the whole field. Toss it deep and try to get to the edge in the run game; force Tennessee to respect both the vertical and horizontal components of the fields. Mix up the snap count, use screen passes, hand the ball off on end arounds, sprinkle in plenty of play action, and maybe even get Jordan Addison going.
Oh, and create some pressure on defense. Some pressures, hits, and sacks would certainly help to push Levis/Rudolph toward costly errors.
The offseason prediction involved rolling with the Vikings to snag the win. I won’t contradict that prediction now that the teams are 7-2 and 2-7. Look for Minnesota to pull off another victory.
Official Prediction: Vikings 27 — Jaguars 13
Prediction Record: 7-2
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
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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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.