Riley Reiff’s 2019 Matchups

TannerWeber_PurplePost   |  

Jun 24, 2019

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Reddit
• Share on WhatsApp
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

Riley Reiff is coming up on a season in which he is likely playing for his future with the Vikings. After a successful 2017 season, Reiff seemed to struggle in 2018. Reiff will be 31 years old in December and the Vikings may look to move on from him next offseason and go with a younger option if his play doesn’t match his $11.7 million dollar salary in 2019. Let’s take a look at who Reiff will be protecting Kirk Cousins from in the upcoming season.

Week 1: Takk McKinley (Atlanta Falcons)

2018 Stats: 22 Tackles & 7.0 Sacks (15 Games)

McKinley has played as a situational pass rusher in his first two seasons in the NFL. The former first-round pick will likely have an increased role in the upcoming season. You can expect a heavy dose of McKinley in week 1, as well as some Vic Beasley & Adrian Clayborn sprinkled in as well.

Week 2: Preston Smith (Green Bay Packers)

2018 Stats: 53 Tackles & 4.0 Sacks (16 Games)

Preston Smith is entering his fifth NFL season and he has yet to miss a game yet. He’s been a strong reliable and productive player since entering the NFL and the Packers are without a doubt upgrading from Clay Matthews & Nick Perry with this free agent signing. This will be a tough matchup for Reiff in his first road game of the season.

Week 3: Clelin Ferrell (Oakland Raiders)

2018 Stats: N/A

The Raiders are a team that struggled MIGHTILY to get to the quarterback in 2018, ranking dead last in the league in total sacks with just 13 takedowns. The Giants and Patriots were next to last in the league with 30 total sacks as a team. The Raiders drafted Clelin Ferrell out of Clemson to give them some help moving forward. Reiff should have the advantage in this matchup as he’ll be facing a rookie at US Bank Stadium with just two career starts under his belt.

Week 4: Leonard Floyd (Chicago Bears)

2018 Stats: 47 Tackles & 4.0 Sacks (16 Games)

In the first matchup against the Bears last season, Vic Fangio recognized Reiff was the guy having a hard time protecting the edge and decided to switch things up and move Khalil Mack over to the right edge rushing spot. Fangio is still gone so we’ll if things stay the same, but if not Leonard Floyd will be the guy whom Reiff will face once again.

Week 5: Lorenzo Carter (New York Giants)

2018 Stats: 43 Tackles & 4.0 Sacks (15 Games)

The Giants are another team who struggled badly to get to the quarterback again last season as they ranked next to dead last in the league in total sacks. They traded Olivier Vernon, who was likely their best pass-rusher to the Browns in exchange for Kevin Zeitler and some draft picks. Lorenzo Carter will likely now be the new featured full-time starter and eager to prove himself early on in the season.

Week 6: Derek Barnett (Philadelphia Eagles)

2018 Stats: 16 Tackles & 2.5 Sacks (6 Games)

This is an excellent pass-rusher who was not featured in the Vikings-Eagles matchup of last year due to an injury. Michael Bennett is now a Patriot, so Barnett will now be the full-time starter to go across from Brandon Graham. I feel much better about this game being in Minnesota as I believe Barnett will be a “break-out player” candidate in 2019.

Week 7: Trey Flowers (Detroit Lions)

2018 Stats: 57 Tackles & 7.5 Sacks (15 Games)

Trey Flowers was Pro Football Focus’ highest rated 4-3 DE during the 2018 season. He doesn’t post jaw-dropping numbers but he’s highly efficient and usually wins 8/10 snaps he takes. Reiff did face Flowers when the Vikings traveled to New England last season and in that matchup Flowers posted 2 tackles and a sack against Reiff. Unfortunately, Reiff now has to face him twice a year…

Week 8: Montez Sweat (Washington Redskins)

2018 Stats: N/A

Another rookie! This time Reiff faces a rookie in a primetime matchup (Thursday Night Football). Montez Sweat was a top 10 talent in the 2019 NFL Draft according to most NFL Draft analysts. Due to a heart condition found at the NFL Scouting Combine he dropped much further in the first round than he should’ve. Sweat will be replacing another Mississippi State alumni in Preston Smith as the Redskins edge rusher across from Pro Bowler Ryan Kerrigan this season.

Week 9: Frank Clark (Kansas City Chiefs)

2018 Stats: 41 Tackles & 13.0 Sacks (15 Games)

• Reiff vs. Clark 2018: 4 Tackles & 1 Sack

The Vikings offense had a hell of a time moving the ball against the Seattle defense last season and this guy was a big reason why. Clark was since then traded to the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason in exchange for a first round pick. The Chiefs led the NFL in total sacks in 2018 and now they’re adding a guy who is going to make them even better. Reiff will have to bring his A-game to this matchup.

Week 10: Robert Quinn (Dallas Cowboys)

2018 Stats: 38 Tackles & 6.5 Sacks (16 Games)

Here’s another player who was dealt before the NFL Draft in exchange for draft picks. I expected to see a well-rounded mixture of rotational guys that Reiff will be facing in this game. Robert Quinn will be the primary guy, but you can expect to see guys like Taco Charlton and Dorance Armstrong in the rotation as well. The Cowboys are incredibly deep at the defensive end position.

Week 11: Bradley Chubb (Denver Broncos)

2018 Stats: 60 Tackles & 12.0 Sacks (16 Games)

This game is months and months away and it’s already giving me anxiety just thinking about. Bradley Chubb posted a whopping 12 sacks in his first career NFL season and you can expect that number to go up in year 2. Luckily enough for us, this game is in US Bank Stadium and not Denver.

Week 12: Bye Week

Week 13: Ziggy Ansah (Seattle Seahawks)

2018 Stats: 11 Tackles & 4.0 Sacks (7 Games)

This is a face that Riley Reiff is all to familiar with. Except now they’re not teammates anymore and he’s not facing him twice a year. Reiff will be coming off a bye week and traveling to Seattle where he’ll face someone he’s matched up against in practice for years. This should be a fun battle against two friends and former teammates.

Week 14: Trey Flowers (Detroit Lions)

Week 15: Melvin Ingram (Los Angeles Chargers)

2018 Stats: 43 Tackles & 7.0 Sacks (16 Games)

Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa will combine to make one of the toughest duos the Vikings will face in the 2019 season. Luckily for us it’s in December and we get to travel to a warm-weathered climate for Sunday Night Football.

Week 16: Preston Smith (Green Bay Packers)

Week 17: Leonard Floyd (Chicago Bears)

Which player do you think poses the biggest challenge for Riley Reiff in 2019?