The Minnesota Vikings (7-6) return home this Sunday to face off against the Indianapolis Colts (6-7) in a game that is a must-win for both teams. A win last Sunday over the Jacksonville Jaguars has momentarily kept the Vikings’ playoff hopes alive, but the team will most likely have to win this game along with the remaining two games against the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears in order to make the playoffs. For a team and a coach in Mike Zimmer who pride themselves on taking the season one game at a time, going 1-0 this week is the most important goal. Here are three keys for victory this week over the Colts.
Minnesota Vikings Week 15 Keys to Victory
Win in the Trenches
The Minnesota Moving Company has struggled all season with injuries and poor play. Now, with right guard Brandon Fusco and center Joe Berger dealing with concussions, a line that has allowed 29 sacks and anchoring one of the worst rushing attacks in NFL history faces the prospect of starting its eighth combination of the season. This comes after only starting one combination of players all of last season.
Fortunately, they are facing a Colts defense that has only generated 25 sacks all season and is allowing 4.5 yards per carry. The biggest pass rushing threat on the Colts’ defense is outside linebacker Erik Walden, who has eight sacks this season, but no other player on the team has more than three. Following one of their best performances of the year against Jacksonville, a strong day by the offensive line would go a long way towards achieving a clean sweep over the AFC South this season.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikings’ front seven also faces a favorable match up against a Colts offense that has allowed 40 sacks and is only averaging 3.9 yards per carry rushing. The Vikings are the only team in the NFL with at least three players with seven or more sacks, with 22-year-old defensive end Danielle Hunter leading the way with 10.5 of the team’s 35 sacks.
Even more impressive than Hunter’s sack total is the fact that he has achieved it in a part-time role, rotating in for Everson Griffen and Brian Robison, who have collected eight and seven sacks respectively.
With reinforcements in the form of recent elevations of practice squad player defensive end Stephen Weatherly and defensive tackle Toby Johnson to the main roster, the defensive line should be fresh and ready to dominate against a offensive line that has struggled throughout the season.
Win on Special Teams
For a team that has struggled to move the ball and score on offense, the Vikings have been forced to rely on their special teams for victory. When the special teams units have had success, so has the team, but when the oft-forgotten third phase of football makes mistakes, the rest of the team has had difficulty overcoming it. Against a good special teams unit this week that has not allowed a single return return over 32 yards, Mike Priefer’s crew will need to make a splash play or two in order to win the game.
With the possible return of punt returner and gunner Marcus Sherels this week from injury, who has already housed two punts this season despite missing multiple games, the Vikings’ punt return and punt coverage teams stand on stronger ground than they have in recent weeks.
On the kick return team, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who has enjoyed a breakout season on offense, is also on pace to lead the NFL in yards per return on kickoffs for the third year of his four-year career. If Patterson, who is averaging 31.7 yards per return, can break off a long return or two to set up the offense around midfield, the Vikings have a great chance to win the game.
Finally, if the offensive struggles in the red zone continue, the team will need a big day out of kicker Kai Forbath. Forbath, who replaced the struggling Blair Walsh midway through the season, has yet to miss a field goal. But he shanked an extra point last week and had another blocked in his first game with the team. The Vikings cannot afford to leave a single point on the field, and it will come down to Forbath to deliver.
Taking it One Game at a Time
Right now, for Vikings fans, the question has been less who the team needs to beat in order to make the playoffs, and more a question of which other teams would have to lose in order for the team to advance. This is fine for fans, but the players must stay focused on the game at hand and concentrate on beating the Colts.
The players and coaches alike must set aside past blunders, mistakes, and missed opportunities and seize the moment on Sunday. This is a talented football team, and they can win unless they beat themselves.
A lack of discipline, focus, or confidence in one player on one play can end the season. The team does not control its own destiny, but the players must act as if they do. For the Minnesota Vikings, the playoffs have already begun.
