Vikings Players to Watch in Week One
We are officially here. The 2021 NFL season is finally upon us, and this is the final weekend without NFL football until mid-February. This week is a very special one in the NFL year; it’s the one where every fan base has some hope. It’s a new year with a clean slate, every team is undefeated, and everyone should be excited to see their teams back in action. Well, maybe not Lions fans, but at least Detroit can watch Cade Cunningham take the NBA court in a couple months.
Anyway, enough piling on Detroit. There is one particular fan base residing in the Land of 10,000 Lakes that should be particularly ready to see their team in action. The Minnesota Vikings underwent a massive reconstruction on the defensive side of the ball, with likely only two starters remaining the same as 2020 (Harrison Smith and Eric Kendricks). Anthony Barr, Danielle Hunter, and Michael Pierce (sort of) return to the team after missing most or all of last season with various injuries and opt outs. The team also added a ton of free agency signings that we’ve talked about all summer, and it’s finally time to see what the result of a busy offseason will be.
The defense isn’t the only part of this team that is extremely different, either. The offensive line will have two new starters, the tight end room looks very different, and there are new special teams coaches and personnel in place after the debacle that was 2020.
With so much overhaul, there will be a lot of new faces to watch as Minnesota heads to Cincinnati. Here are just a few players to keep an eye on in week one.
Rashod Hill and Oli Udoh
2019 sixth-round pick and training camp standout, Oli Udoh, took the starting right guard spot by the horns and never let go. The position seemed to be rookie Wyatt Davis’ to lose after Minnesota drafted him in the third round, and it seems he did just that. Some nagging injuries and general fitness kept him out of a lot of training camp reps with the starters, and it carried into the preseason, with Davis playing exclusively with the twos and threes.
Similarly, the left tackle position seemed to be set after Minnesota took Christian Darrisaw with their first-round pick. However, he is very likely out for week one after his groin injury suffered in the 2020 season has continued giving him troubles. That means Rashod Hill is next man up and should see most of the snaps this week.
Week one is the time for both Udoh and Hill to prove that they are up to the task of blocking NFL defenses. After a year in which most of the guard snaps went to Dakota Dozier and rookie Ezra Cleveland, some stability and pass protection from the interior would be a very welcomed change. If Hill can hang in there, it’ll be good to know the Vikings at least have some depth when Darrisaw returns.
Cincinnati’s defense won’t be a cakewalk, though. In an effort to improve their pass rush, the Bengals went out and signed Trey Hendrickson, who had a breakout year with the Saints. The Bengals defensive front was impressive during the preseason, so this should be a big test for a new offensive line.
Michael Pierce
Earlier this summer, I contributed to Kyle Joudry’s article on TVG discussing what it would take for the Vikings to have a successful season. In that piece, I pointed specifically to Michael Pierce. Obviously, Pierce opted out of playing the 2020 season after signing with the purple and gold. The run defense struggled mightily in his absence, and it led the Vikings to sign yet another DT, Dalvin Tomlinson.
Tomlinson has been the epitome of consistency since entering the league in 2017. In his first four seasons, he has started in all 64 possible games and posted virtually identical numbers in 2020 as he did in 2019. Even coming into a new team, Tomlinson’s production can all but be assumed at this point.
However, we need to see what happens with Michael Pierce after sitting out an entire season. Everything looked great in the preseason, but Pierce has had his ups and downs throughout his career. His 2019 season was fantastic and earned him his contract with the Vikings. However, prior to that he started just two games in 2018 following a breakout year in 2017. In order for this Vikings defense to maximize it’s potential, it needs the 2019 version of Michael Pierce. If Minnesota gets that, this team will be very scary.
Patrick Peterson
Patrick Peterson was the signing that started it all for the revamped Vikings secondary. Back in March, the former Cardinal signed a one-year, $10 million deal to come to Minnesota, and Vikings fans rejoiced. He is set to be CB1 for this defense, and it should be a noticeably different pass coverage from what the Vikings got last season.
However, the 31-year-old has been the decline over the past few years. Following his most recent Pro Bowl season in 2018, he suffered an injury that limited him to just 10 games in 2019. Then in 2020, the three-time All-Pro selection struggled as the Cardinals continued to rely solely on him to shut down WR1s.
The Vikings have a chance to revitalize the veterans career. Minnesota has a number of solid CBs this year after also bringing in Bashaud Breeland and Mackenzie Alexander. Not to mention, Cam Dantzler will still no doubt have a role on this team despite a disappointing preseason. Peterson does not have to be the shut down corner that he once was in this unit, and it will be very interesting to see how he performs in this secondary.
Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson
It began happening last season, but this year may officially be a “passing of the torch” from Thielen to Jefferson for the WR1 spot. Jefferson obviously put together an historic rookie season in 2020 and led the team in targets, but Thielen still seemed like WR1 on that team. This offseason there’s been a clamoring from naysayers calling for Jefferson’s “sophomore slump”.
I don’t see that happening, and it certainly shouldn’t be an issue in week one. It should be a field day for the WR duo in Cincinnati. The Bengals gave up 6.1 yards per play in 2020; sixth worst in the NFL right behind the Vikings. Much of this allowed production came in the passing game as Cincinnati gave up 6.9 yards per attempt.
At any rate, the Vikings have two of the top receivers on their team, and it should be fun to watch them co-exist once again in 2021. The precise route running of Thielen will be great for the red zone, and the sheer speed and athleticism of Jefferson should make some great highlight plays once again.
