The Key Matchup for Vikings at Titans
The 7-2 Minnesota Vikings are kicking in the country this coming Sunday with a trip to Nashville to face the 2-7 Tennessee Titans. Minnesota comes off of an uninspiring win (though a win nonetheless) over the Titans’ AFC South foe Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 12-7.
The game in Jacksonville saw the Vikings post over 400 total yards of offense, 28 first downs, over 42 minutes of possession, and more plays run in the Jags’ territory than the Jags ran plays as a whole the entire game. However, when an 0/5 mark in the redzone and three unfortunate interceptions of Sam Darnold are thrown into the equation, the aroma of the contest is one of discontent with the state of the offense after their hot start over the first month of the 2024 season.
There are some positives to fall back on as Minnesota travels to the Music City this week. T.J. Hockenson looks to be all the way back, converting multiple third-down conversions for the Vikings and signaling a beacon of trust that the struggling Darnold can rely on. John Parker Romo added to the positivity party, going 4/4 from the field and single-handedly scoring all of Minnesota’s points. Hopefully, we will find out that he is also reliable on extra points in the coming weeks when they remember how to put it in the end zone.
The Vikings’ defense also showed up, although they faced a Mac Jones-captained version of an already bad Jaguars offense, even when Trevor Lawrence was leading the way. This version of Brian Flores’ unit is one that can absolutely stifle a Titans offense featuring Will Levis under center, who has struggled big-time against pressure in the games he’s appeared in thus far.
Minnesota’s defense should be more than apt enough to handle a bad Titans offense, so the real question is whether or not Kevin O’Connell’s offense can perform against a seemingly stout Titans defense. It’s hard to tell just how stout the defensive side of the ball is for Tennessee, as they do allow the least yardage on a per-game basis in the NFL through 10 weeks, however, they also allow the 3rd-most points per game in the NFL as well, a clear indicator that the Titans offense leaves their defense in horrible spots to begin drives.
Pro Football Focus sees the key matchup of the day nestled in the broad terms of the Titans’ defense matching up against the Vikings’ offense. Specifically, they believe that the matchup to watch is between Titans linebacker Jack Giddens and Vikings running back Aaron Jones.
Giddens was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota (transferred from Abilene Christian) in 2022. He was re-signed in early 2024 as an exclusive-rights free agent with the Titans and has played well above his expectations as a roster-bubble talent. Tennessee felt emboldened enough to trade away formerly-starting linebacker Ernest Jones IV to the Seattle Seahawks, and Giddens’ play in his short sample size through Week 7 was part of the reason why.
Per PFF, Giddens has accumulated a 91.2 overall defensive grade over the last three weeks, which is the 4th-highest mark of all qualifying defenders in that time span. Among qualifying linebackers, his season-long PFF defensive grade is an 88.4 (2nd in NFL), with a run defending grade of 85.9 (7th in NFL) and a coverage grade of 78.3 (6th in NFL). Not only is he playing well for a third-year player on a minimum ERFA deal, but he’s also playing as one of the best linebackers in the NFL.
A large responsibility of his on Sunday will be neutralizing the threat of trusty veteran Aaron Jones. Among qualifying runningbacks, Jones is credited with an offensive grade of 82.3 (8th in NFL), including a rushing grade of 78.8 (18th in NFL), a receiving grade of 81.7 (7th in NFL), and interestingly, a pass blocking grade of 79.3 (1st in NFL).
Minnesota’s defense should be able to wrangle a very lackluster Titans offense, but it’s unknown whether or not a cold Vikings offense can figure out a Titans defense that doesn’t allow teams down the field when they’re provided with field position that isn’t in their own territory. Aaron Jones could be a key reason as to why they can, but that hinges on the potentially continued stellar play of Jack Gibbens.
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