Following the huge road win against the Bears, the Vikings are sitting at a healthy 2-0 record. Their opponent for this week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are sitting at 0-2 after a crushing loss against the Cleveland Browns. From a timing perspective, this can be either a very good thing for the Vikings or a very bad thing. On the bright side, the Buccaneers have clear weaknesses that other teams have already taken advantage of. On the other side of things, the Buccaneers will be desperate and hungry to get in the win column. If the Vikings want to win and win convincingly in Kyler Murray’s first game back from the injury, they’ll have to maintain advantages in several key areas of the game.
Stop the Run
Not a lot has gone right for the Buccaneers so far this season, but Bucky Irving has been electric. Irving is currently averaging 5.4 yards per carry, and that could be a problem for the Vikings’ defense. They fared well against the Packers and Bears running games for the most part, but there were a few big runs they’d like to have back. In order to contain Bucky Irving, Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange will have to play a large role with Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins nursing an oblique injury. If the Vikings do stop the run and make the Buccaneers one-dimensional, it bodes well for them against Baker Mayfield, who has turned the ball over at a high rate this season.
Keep Kyler Clean
The Vikings offensive line has played better since the first couple of drives against Green Bay, but they’ll need to be in top form if the Vikings are going to come away with a win on the road. With Vita Vea always posing a threat, it’ll be on Blake Brandel, Donovan Jackson, and Will Fries to ensure that the pressure up the middle doesn’t get to Murray. This burden also falls on Murray himself, as he’ll need to make sure that he’s getting the ball out quickly before the pressure can get there. We know how dangerous Kyler can be when he has a clean pocket, so it’s important to give him the chance to be dangerous on Sunday against a feisty Buccaneers pass rush.
Find Ways to Move the Chains
After Aaron Jones put the team on his back last week, he missed Wednesday’s practice with an apparent knee injury. If he misses time, or is even limited in any capacity, the rest of the offense will need to carry the burden to keep the Buccaneers guessing. There’s a good chance that Kevin O’Connell will look to pass the ball more, but running backs Deejay Dallas and Demond Claiborne will also need to step up to ensure that the team doesn’t become fully one-dimensional. I anticipate that we’ll see plenty of wide receiver screen passes as O’Connell looks for ways to break off small chunks without placing a huge burden on the RBs. Thankfully for the Vikings, Murray can also use his legs to pick up chunks of yards, so that will be something to watch as well.
When I made my full season predictions, I had this game down as a loss just because I thought the Buccaneers would be clicking on all cylinders at this point in the season. Now that it seems that the opposite is true, the Vikings have no excuse not to go on the road and steal this game. It’s a favorable match-up and one that could help them start 3-0 in a division that’s sure to be competitive come playoff time.
