{"id":36421,"date":"2018-01-09T17:14:30","date_gmt":"2018-01-09T22:14:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=36421"},"modified":"2018-01-09T17:14:30","modified_gmt":"2018-01-09T22:14:30","slug":"keys-minnesota-vikings-victory-divisional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/01\/09\/keys-minnesota-vikings-victory-divisional\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Minnesota Vikings Can Win in the Divisional Round"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL\u00a0playoffs are now in full swing with the Divisional Round coming up this weekend. The Minnesota Vikings<\/a> will be pitted up against the New Orleans Saints<\/a> Sunday in Minnesota. This is the second time the teams have played this season, with the Vikings taking the win on Monday Night Football in week one.<\/p>\n

How the Minnesota Vikings Can Win in the Divisional Round<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Both teams have changed dramatically since their first matchup.<\/p>\n

The Vikings lost their day one starters at quarterback and\u00a0running back\u00a0in\u00a0Sam\u00a0<\/b>Bradford\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0Dalvin<\/b>\u00a0Cook<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0<\/b>Case\u00a0<\/b>Keenum<\/b>\u00a0came in and led the Vikings to a first-round bye with\u00a0surprisingly elite performance.\u00a0The running back duo of\u00a0Latavius\u00a0<\/b>Murray\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0Jerick\u00a0<\/b>McKinnon\u00a0<\/b>stepped in\u00a0and\u00a0kept the Vikings running game consistent in Cook’s absence. The main consistency in Minnesota\u00a0was the defense.\u00a0Harrison\u00a0<\/b>Smith\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0Xavier\u00a0<\/b>Rhodes<\/b>\u00a0took home first team\u00a0All-Pro honors, while\u00a0Everson\u00a0<\/b>Griffen\u00a0<\/b>also gained recognition on\u00a0the second team. The defense as a whole was top ten in nearly all major categories.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Saints moved on from\u00a0Adria<\/b>n Peterson<\/b>\u00a0and in turn improved their backfield dramatically.\u00a0Alvin Kamara<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0Mark Ingram<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>went on to be a record setting pair in the backfield for the Saints. Both running backs made the NFC Pro Bowl roster. Together, the teammates\u00a0amassed\u00a03,000 all-purpose yards, a feat that has never been done before.\u00a0Cameron Jordan<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>also solidified himself as one of the top defensive talents in the league this season. He has shown the ability to alter the game on a play-to-play basis. He will be sure to make things tricky for the Vikings offense.<\/p>\n

The biggest deciding factor in this game will be the Vikings ability to contain Kamara in both the running and\u00a0passing games. The first time these two teams played, the defense did very well against the run. The Vikings run defense has been elite all season long, and will likely continue this success Sunday.\u00a0Anthony Barr<\/a><\/b>\u00a0has shown great ability to stop plays going to the outside this year, with elite closing speed to the ball.\u00a0Trae\u00a0<\/b>Waynes<\/b>\u00a0<\/b>has\u00a0<\/b>also shown himself to be\u00a0a\u00a0top run-stopping talent at the cornerback\u00a0position\u00a0this season.\u00a0Head coach Mike\u00a0Zimmer<\/strong> will be sure to key on Kamara to limit his opportunities. Look for multiple players, including\u00a0Waynes\u00a0and Barr, to lock onto Kamara to limit his production.<\/p>\n

If the Vikings can successfully stifle the Saints backfield, New Orleans\u00a0will be forced to rely on the arm of\u00a0Drew Brees<\/a><\/b>.\u00a0Obviously, that is\u00a0still quite the threat, as Brees has been elite\u00a0for a decade. Rhodes\u00a0is sure to be\u00a0covering number one threat\u00a0Michael<\/b>\u00a0Thomas<\/b>\u00a0most of the game.\u00a0Coverage by Rhodes nearly guarantees limited production, as Rhodes has shut down All-Pro receivers consistently. This leaves Brees with\u00a0Ted Ginn<\/a>, Jr\u00a0<\/b>as his only other consistent receiving threat that should see heavy coverage. The other receiving threats on the roster shouldn’t be much trouble for the Minnesota defense to blanket. The main focus will be limiting Thomas, Ginn, and Kamara as Brees favorite targets.<\/p>\n

This will likely be a very close game that could go either way.\u00a0If Zimmer’s defense can\u00a0limit the Saints playmakers, the Vikings should walk away victorious.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>