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One of my favorite sports movie moments is in Rocky III when his trainer Mickey is hanging out in small venues watching Clubber Lang crushing opponents even though his fighter defeated the unbeatable Apollo Creed and had multiple title defenses after that.
It's a very 'Head Coach' thing to do. And it's something I do every Sunday watching the Redzone.
Now don't get me wrong, the Skins are no Clubber Lang. And the Vikings aren't resting on their laurels ala Mr. Balboa. But I have some concerns.
First, that win in Seattle is better than anything the Vikings currently have on their resume. And it was on the road. In sloppy conditions. Missing what seemed like virtually their entire O-Line.
Second, that Defense has playmakers at all 3 levels in Kerrigan, Brown and Gordon.
Third, their ancillary weapons are finally starting to develop. The Skins and particularly Cousins really looked like they missed Garcon and Jackson early in the year and things got worse when Reed went down.
But Vernon Davis' ghost had his chains rattled and came back to life. Doctson, Grant and Pryor are starting to produce. That run game with Kelly as the hammer and Thompson as the home run threat including as a pass catcher can be dangerous.
Finally, Cousins is a legit Tier 2 QB. It's not always pretty, but he can get the job done.
Bottom line though is that they are missing a chunk of their O-Line and have a rash of injuries elsewhere. Washington will need to play a lot like Minnesota on Sunday; win the turnovers, field position and Special Teams game and not self-destruct with untimely penalties.
My key matchups are their #2 CB Breeland vs. Thielen or Diggs and Waynes vs. everyone. The team that gets the better CB play from that spot should have the upper hand. Honorable mention goes to Mac Ax against their shifty Slot WR Crowder.
And a few Wide Rights or Lefts from their FSU alum kicker wouldn't hurt either! Should be a great game.
I am expecting to see the Vikes try and let the air out of the ball and really establish a strong run game. If they can do that I am not concerned. I have concerns about trying to swap TDs with any team though as long as Keenum is the QB. He does a great job as a back up, but I dont see him as the kind of player that would rise up and win the game on his play.... so lets pound the rock, wear on their defense and take the crowd out early with our D neutering their O.
I see it the other way. Not that this will be an easy victory, but that Washington may be ready for a let down. They just traveled across the country and played inspired (and lucky) ball to beat a team they had no business beating. So flying home on those emotions, I wonder if they dont' come out flat this week.
Quote: @greediron said:
I see it the other way. Not that this will be an easy victory, but that Washington may be ready for a let down. They just traveled across the country and played inspired (and lucky) ball to beat a team they had no business beating. So flying home on those emotions, I wonder if they dont' come out flat this week.
or full of confidence.... sometimes a decent team gets a signature win and they play a lot tougher after that.
The D has to stop their running game, then get after Cousins on the obvious passing downs. This is the formula for most every game, and it has to continue.
For some reason, like in Chicago, we just don't seem to "play fast" when we play at Washington. This will be a tough road test, for sure, but if this Viking team wants to be considered a real playoff contender, a victory on Sunday would be a nice way to gauge the team.
Quote: @HappyViking said:
The D has to stop their running game, then get after Cousins on the obvious passing downs. This is the formula for most every game, and it has to continue.
For some reason, like in Chicago, we just don't seem to "play fast" when we play at Washington. This will be a tough road test, for sure, but if this Viking team wants to be considered a real playoff contender, a victory on Sunday would be a nice way to gauge the team.
i almost view this as a must win in order to keep any hopes of home field in the playoffs alive.
Quote: @JimmyinSD said:
@ greediron said:
I see it the other way. Not that this will be an easy victory, but that Washington may be ready for a let down. They just traveled across the country and played inspired (and lucky) ball to beat a team they had no business beating. So flying home on those emotions, I wonder if they dont' come out flat this week.
or full of confidence.... sometimes a decent team gets a signature win and they play a lot tougher after that.
Could be. It was just my thought watching that game yesterday. I wanted them to win cuz I hate Seattle. But also the way they won and all the attention from it. Hope they believe a bit of the media cuz they shouldn't have won that game.
I wasn't overly impressed watching the Redskins yesterday. Seattle did more to lose that game than Washington did to win it. When you miss 3 FG's and turn the ball over twice you're fortunate to still be in the game. Heck, Seattle put up almost 440 yards of offense.
On the offensive side of the ball the Redskins achilles heel is the health of their O-line. Regardless of who you are its hard to have a successful offense when you're letting free rushers into the backfield. MN's front-7 is substantially better than what Seattle had on the field yesterday. If they can't get Scherff or Williams back next weekend they're going to be forced to us their TE's in pass protection.
Although their weapons started to get going against Seattle, that was without Earl Thomas on the back end. I'd say that Doctson is starting to come into his own, but their other receiving threats are still largely unimpressive. But ultimately Cousins is the man who keeps things going and if he can drop dimes like he did at times against Seattle it doesn't matter who your weapons are. Barring Counsins getting red hot I'd expect the Vikings defense to have a good day.
Defensively the Redskins are a different coverage unit when Josh Norman is on the field. The question will be whether they will have Norman shadow Diggs or let the Vikings dictate matchup's. The interior pass rush of Washington isn't good unless they bring an extra man which runs contrary to how opposing teams have attempted to stop Shurmur. Regardless, there should be room to run between the tackles. Outside of Brown the Redskins are not overly athletic at LB which could prove to be an issue against McKinnon.
Overall, this is a game the Vikings shouldn't have an issue with on paper. They're the better team. But crazy things have happened coming off the bye. You'd hope the team would show a sense of urgency after last years nosedive after a break.
The thing that worries me is that their line could be returning to health for the Vikings. The Redskins are middle of the pack offensively and defensively. Vikings are a top half offense and a top 5 defense. But Sam/Cook performances are baked into that a little. Neutral field, Vikings win this game. In DC, toss up based on the kind of game Cousins has. Big game for the Vikings as the specter of last year's post-bye collapse stands hard by, as well as a very very tough match up against the Rams the following week. So the Skins game is a big, pivotal game for the purple guys.
Rams should easily beat a Watson-less Texans this week. If the Vikings win in DC it will set up a "game of the week" match up the following Sunday morning pitting two 7 and 2 teams. Rams at Vikings. Reminds me of the 70s. Should be some snow on the ground by then. Where are you Brent Musburger? "YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE...."
16 penalties, 0-3 on FGs and 2 INTs for Wilson sunk Seattle, it wasn't anything Washington did necessarily. Not sure why you are so impressed with their win when Minnesota's defeat of New Orleans was much more impressive. In fact, this is a perfect scenario for a letdown from the Redskins in a tough game all the way in the Northwest part of the country for travel. The Vikings won't be taking any road game lightly, either. The Seahawks are a bottom half NFL defense now. Philly and Dallas are both much better teams than Washington, IMO, in that division.
The more realistic scenario is its the Vikings: impossible to know how they'll play.
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