Minnesota’s Defensive Task Might Have Gotten Easier

Mike Zimmer
Dec 10, 2018; Seattle, WA, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer shakes hands with his players during pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

It may be time for me to eat some humble pie. When I saw the initial injury report, I concluded that Christian McCaffrey would be active against our Minnesota Vikings.

My prophecy looks like it may in doubt:

Obviously, no one should be cheering for an injury. My genuine desire is for the Vikes to face the full strength of the opposition and still come out on top. Of course, we know that we seldom reach this lofty goal (we’re 2-3), but it’s still the ideal. I want to be able to say that Carolina was at full strength and gave us their absolute best effort. I then want to be able to say that the Vikings are just a better team. In other words, I’m not cheering for an injury.

Nevertheless, the fact is that the Minnesota Vikings stand a much better chance on Sunday if Christian McCaffrey can’t go. When healthy, CMC is a nightmare to matchup with. He’s a sensational receiving back and very capable when running the ball. Even with Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr, the Vikings would have struggled to slow him down.

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If McCaffrey is out – hamstring injuries are tricky – then the focus shifts to D.J. Moore. He’s their main offensive weapon, someone who is very difficult to cover. The benefit to Zim’s side is that we can likely redirect resources toward the pass coverage on Moore rather than toward what McCaffrey may be able to do. We’ll need our pass rush to get home early and often so that our DBs don’t need to cover Moore for too long.

As Dustin (who does most of his writing at Vikings Territory) recently pointed out, the Panthers game is an important one for our assessment of this team: “The Vikings had high hopes for 2021. They still do. The roster is constructed astutely with defensive beef the coach loves, accompanied by an expensive quarterback who has playmakers aplenty. There is no reason the Minnesota Vikings should struggle. If they do, the coaching isn’t quite jelling with the players – and that’s problematic. Traveling to Carolina, the Vikings will encounter a fateful game. Of course, 11 games will remain thereafter, but the win or loss versus the Panthers will vivify what type of team these 2021 Vikings truly resemble.”

Indeed.

The Panthers are a fine team, but they really shouldn’t be scaring anyone. We have more talent throughout our lineup (though we do have some clear problem areas). If McCaffrey is out, then the Vikings really have no excuse. We ought to control the clock and play dominant defense.

If we don’t, we’ll head into the bye at an uninspiring 2-4, a record that will be very difficult to overcome.



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