The Vikings at Browns in Week 5 (London!): A Half Dozen Rapid-Fire Ideas
The Vikings at Browns game in Week 5 is vital for both sides.
Sitting at 2-2, Minnesota doesn’t want to enter the bye with a losing record. Sitting at 1-3, Cleveland doesn’t want to see the season slip away just after it got going. So, lots of motivation to pickup a victory overseas. Can Minnesota overcome the brutal injuries — Brian O’Neill, Ryan Kelly/Michael Jurgens, and to others — to move into Week 6 with a winning record?
The Vikings at Browns in Week 5
1 | All About Running the Football
Leaning on Jordan Mason appears to be the move in Minnesota.
Carson Wentz is capable of offering reasonably strong play. Not vintage Dan Marino, but pretty good football within Minnesota’s loaded offense. The issue? Simply that the Vikings are working with backups (and backups to backups) along the offensive line. Having enough time to pass could be difficult.
Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel is getting the start for Cleveland. DC Brian Flores, the one affectionately known as The Mad Scientist, seems likely to outsmart the rookie passer. Kevin Stefanski may therefore task the passer with handing off the football.
Whoever runs the ball better may end up being the team that wins.
2 | Terrific Trenches or Terrible Trenches
Bring the NFL down to its top-five best players. Mr. Myles Garrett very likely demands a spot. At the very worst, Garrett is among the top ten and is the single best pass rusher.
Playing alongside Garrett is Maliek Collins, a defensive tackle who is leading PFF’s DT position with a sizzling 89.9 grade. Defensive tackle Shelby Harris, edge rusher Isaiah McGuire, and edge rusher Alex Wright are all getting strong grades, as well.
Can the Vikings rely on the makeshift offensive line to keep Carson Wentz clean? If not, the Browns could be more stubborn than most realize.
3 | A Justin Jefferson Encore
In Week 4, the Vikings offered a renewed effort to get Mr. Jefferson involved. Doing likewise in Week 5 seems wise.
The WR1 was the beneficiary of 11 targets, opportunities that turned into 10 catches for 126 yards. Were it not for an appearance from the turf monster, Jefferson may have piled up a few more yards while scoring a touchdown.
Passing the ball far down the field may prove difficult. After all, the Browns’ front is impressive (as discussed), so Minnesota may not be calling four verticals while the quarterback takes a seven-step drop. Instead, one wonders about a death-by-a-thousand-paper-cuts approach. Quick slants, bubble screens, and so on. Get the ball to a playmaker in space while looking for yards after the catch.
Maybe one turns into a D.K. Metcalf moment, a short pass that becomes a long pass. Let Justin Jefferson feast on opportunities.
4 | Time for the Defensive Front to Respond
Dallas Turner hasn’t been close to good enough. Currently, he’s operating in a similar manner to someone like Leonard Floyd or Yannick Ngakoue, an edge rusher who can get to the quarterback with some consistency but who doesn’t have a well-rounded game.
Only 22, Turner remains a work in progress. He nevertheless faces a heavy burden given the costliness of acquisition for the Vikings during (and before) the 2024 NFL Draft.
There’s then the pair of defensive tackles who cost a pretty penny: Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Neither has lived up to expectations after a month of football, both being outplayed by Jalen Redmond. Maybe that’s not all bad news since Redmond could be a key defensive piece for years to come, but Allen and Hargrave are supposed to supercharge that front. They’ve yet to do so apart from the Week 1 effort.
5 | Young Vikings to Watch
The positive way of spinning the Vikings injuries? Just that the young fellas have been getting more chances. Consider six players who have demonstrated promise:
- Zavier Scott, Running Back — Size and can catch. He could be this season’s RB3.
- Tai Felton, Gunner — The wide receiver is a menace when getting down the field. Watch for him on punt.
- Myles Price, Returner — He had an explosive return last week nullified by penalty. Otherwise, there would be even more chatter about the explosive UDFA.
- Jalen Redmond, Defensive Tackle — Already, the 26-year-old defender has 3 sacks and 4 tackles for loss. Very disruptive.
- Levi Drake Rodriguez, Defensive Tackle — Motor and effort, Rodriguez looks like a savvy pickup in the 7th.
- Bo Richter, Edge Rusher — He has a sturdy build and isn’t terribly long, meaning he can hold his spot at the line of scrimmage. Seeing him soak up snaps as a run defender over Dallas Turner won’t be shocking.
6 | History Says the Vikings Have the Edge
The all-time record will have zero impact on the final score. Nevertheless, the details: the Vikings are sitting on a 11-5 record when battling the Browns.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Stat Muse helped with this piece.
