Vikings at Chargers Preview
by SDVike on Sep 7, 2011 2:56 PM CDT
Email
PrintI'll be the first one to admit that I'm not a professional writer or blogger, so this may be a little rusty. I'm just a die-hard fan bored in the middle of the afternoon and looking forward to 3:15 Central (10:15 Hawaiian, for those of you who care to know) on Sunday, where our beloved purple and gold will square off with one of the more prolific offenses in the AFC. So if you're looking for expert analysis, look elsewhere. If you just want to hear some takes from a fan just like you, welcome aboard.
Sorry to start off so negatively, but I don't think we can ignore the fact that Philip Rivers threw for 4700 yards last year...most of which came before Vincent Jackson joined the team. Take that, throw V-Jax into the mix, and include our average to below average secondary, and it doesn't bode well for the old purple and gold. Hopefully, our defensive front can make up for the suspect secondary and put pressure on Rivers and contain the average run game that San Diego brings to the table.
The good news for Viking Nation is that we still have Adrian Peterson (and I say we get on that contract situation Zygi!), and the last time AD took the field against the Chargers, well, I'll explain it using three numbers: 2, 9, 6. And if you don't understand the significance of those numbers, then how dare you call yourself a Vikings fan! Anyway, back to Sunday's game.
Matchup to Watch: Adrian Peterson vs Chargers defense. Expect 8 in the box for a majority of the game, until the Vikings establish some sort of a passing game. Hopefully, we can pound the ball with Adrian and then drill them with a play action pass.
Fantasy Player to Watch: Vincent Jackson, Vikings TE (Visanthe Shiancoe and/or Kyle Rudolph): Jackson is bound to have a good week (just check out Paul Charchian's WR rankings at FantasyVictory.com), and Peterson should open up some play action opportunities in Bill Musgrave's tight end heavy offense, plus Donovan McNabb will almost certainly use his safety valves early and often in his first start as a Viking.
Well, there you have it. I hope you all (assuming that there are people reading this) enjoyed my take and enjoy the game on Sunday.
Skol Vikes!
This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.
52 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
what I think
Vikes 20 Chargers 27
We matchup so poorly with Vincent Jackson. Who can cover him? And if we put too much focus on him, there are plenty of other weapons (Gates). And if we’re going to have any chance, McNabb will need to get a couple throws down the field early to open things for AD. Otherwise, 8 in the box won’t work for us.
The only possible solution
Is to blitz the heck out of Rivers, like we did against Vick last year. I’m hopeful that Fred Pagac has something up his sleeve.
Boom Goes the Dynamite
Not just blitzing, but mixing it up so that he doesn't know what we're doing
This is a pretty obvious statement I just made because DCoords try every week to do this, but sometimes they get in a zone of trying to predict what the offense is doing so the defense is reacting to that instead of imposing its will and disrupting the offense.
Skol!
Nobody is unbeatable
It is never as simple as “how can we beat Rivers to Jackson or Gates?” There are lots of ways. Allen or Robison or Ballard might beat their guy and force a fumble, Griffen or Greenway might tip the ball and maybe a safety or Sherels will be there to grab it. Maybe Rivers will make a bad read once or twice, or maybe his biorythms willl be off that afternoon. Maybe the refs will make a bad call that gets Jackson all ticked off and throws him off his game. Maybe AD will beat them down enough that Rivers will start to press and make some careless mistakes. Maybe Gates will start to show signs of aging. Maybe Erin Henderson will show a knack at blitzing the way McDaniel used to do many years ago. Maybe Sanford will rise to the occasion — he has been on a rise since he came to the Vikes (I take it both he and Frazier were undrafted FA’s — perhaps fate has brought them together?).
It is NEVER a lost cause. Even if it IS on grass and an away game against the trendy pick for the AFC rep in the Super Bowl.
TiggerSr
by TiggerSr on Sep 7, 2011 3:44 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Now that there's a Viking Fan! :)
Ever optimistic, and the “any given Sunday” rule applies.
That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised, or even disappointed, if the Vikings lose. We still have a lot of catching up to do in terms getting into a rhythm and learning the new playbook, while the Chargers are just picking up where they left off from last year. So if we don’t win, there’s no reason to think that’s the end of the season; there’s lots more football to play and our guys will have their first full game to get in sync and focused. And it would cement the Vikings as “underdogs”, which only plays to our favor.
Of course, we can still win that game…. Any or all of the things you said could happen, and likely at least one of them, WILL happen. And it isn’t as if the Vikings don’t have plenty of talent on the field, we’re no slouches on either side of the ball. The Vikings just need to bring it all together, as a TEAM, instead of trying to rely on superstars alone to save the day. More than anything else, I think this first game is Frazier’s biggest chance to shine. To show that he’s built a TEAM, not just plugged stars into critical positions, and that he’s built that team in time for the season opener.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
The key to this game is our nickel defense.
I see us stopping their run game for the most part. Third downs on defense is where the Vikings will have to step up. Griffin will be on Floyd which is a good matchup for us. Winfield will be in the slot and I’d blitz him frequently as well as having him cover Gates on occasion to help out the linebackers. The toughest matchup is going to be Cook against Jackson in nickel situations. Cook is solid at disrupting the WRs release with good jam early but if our defensive line and blitzers don’t get pressure on Rivers than VJAX will eventually burn Cook on a deep ball or two. On offense the Vikings will have to lean on Peterson and have a couple long clock-eating touchdown drives.
The Vikings can win this game if they don’t get behind early and if they win the time of possession battle. I have us winning 24-21 with either a Tolbert or Matthews fumble being the key play. If you’re a gambler this isn’t a bad spot to take the Vikings as they are 8.5 point dogs which is tied for the largest spread of the week with IND.
I actually pretty much agree with you
The key I think will be the play calling on defense to keep Rivers off balance. If Pagac can put some clever blitzing packages in I think we can work around this. If we play vanilla I don’t think our personnel maps to theirs well. So we’re going to have to rely on coaching (which I would have discounted last year out of hand)
On offense we need to eat the clock and keep the ball out of Rivers hands. Their line backers are iffy and I think we can get Shiancoe and Rudolf in mismatches against them. Especially if Harvin can put a decent scare in them. The mainstay will have to be AD though. pound. that. rock.
I'm like the Dali Lama of kicking ass
That sounds exactly how i see it. Wow, somethings wrong, I'm agreeing with you way too much lately : )
by CanadianViking on Sep 8, 2011 7:57 PM CDT up reply actions
You do the Grime, you do the time
I couldn’t agree more. Our offense needs to make this game as boring as hell. B1G football style = 4 yds and a cloud of dust. 5-6min drives 75 yds; and we HAVE to get TDs. If we can sustain a few long drives and make the game really slow and boring and keep the clock churning, it’s going to keep Rivers on the sidelines and keep him from getting into a rythmn …or just drug him
Skol!
McNabb ends your hope
I read these boards quite a bit and it really seems to be that no one understands just how bad McNabb is, at this point in his career.
He was always overrated at the position, but a very talented athlete who could fake his way to some highlights and manage regular season defenses. Now, without the talent around him to hide his flaws and without the protective shell of Andy Reid….not to mention his confidence gone, he is just plain awful. Worse, he can be team cancer. When things go bad, he makes them worse with his lack of leadership and tendency to sulk.
It was a bad move by Minnesota and it as a fan it made me lose hope for this season.
As for this game, I expect McNabb to show you exactly what he is against San Diego. If he throws down field once Minnesota falls behind….and they will, he will be picked off more than once. Expect, a possible fumble too.
A final line of about 16 – 35 for 197 1 TD 2 Ints and a fumble lost is my prediction with the Vikings losing. 31 – 17. Thank heavens for AP or it could be worse.
Wake me up when Ponder is ready. I look forward to the future, just not this weekend.
Whew. That was something there. Feel better? :-)
Actually, I think McNabb has been pretty good this pre-season, and he looks like he’s a pretty fun guy to be around. So maybe he has flaws. So what. All QBs do. Have you ever seen what Payton looks like when flushed from the pocket? Have you seen Brady with that man scarf? Rivers with that throwing motion? In all seriousness, McNabb has done a very good job of protecting the ball throughout his career. My fear for him has nothing to do with his skill level. I fear that our O-line might let him down a few too many times and actually get him hurt. Ponder’s not ready to pick things up for McNabb. Then apparently hope will be lost… unless Super Joe laces up. (See there’s always hope).
You lose a lot credibility with me when you start your assessment with:
He was always overrated at the position…
He led his team to 5 NFC Championships with only Bryan Westbrook as a real weapon, except for the one year that TO was in Philly. A “team cancer”?! Really? I challenge you to produce one shred of real evidence supporting that statement. Living in VA I always see more than my share of Eagles games and press coverage. He did sometimes take a lot of criticism when they loss, but I can’t remember ever hearing any negative reports about his attitude or clubhouse presence, and many times saw him rally his teammates on the sidelines.
I’m not saying that I think he will be the savior QB to lead us to the promised land. He is definitely past his prime and not able to make the plays he did 5-10 years ago. The only critical flaw that I perceived was an unfortunate tendency to under-perform miserably in really big games… yeah I think he choked at times.
Otherwise, it’s like you and I watched completely different QB’s in Philly for 10 years.
31-17 chargers really? REALLY? wow, we are better than that, aren't we?
i say 30-17 chargers….i think we will play them just a little tougher than your prediction.
warcraft, you are my guitar hero !!!
Absolutely stop the run attack defensively and we should have a shot. This will reduce their time of possession and boost our chances for picks. We need a very strong defensive showing here, and I expect Pagac to bring the house when needed – we certainly have the defensive players to supply a devastating blitz attack. On the other side of the ball, lean on AP to grind out yards to keep the Chargers defense on the field (no big surprise). A winded defense is easier to exploit. If their LB corps is as soft as indicated, AP can have a very good game. Take the short yardage TE gains to further extend our time of possession. Be patient for the long passing strikes and don’t force it; the long ball will open up in due time. Utilize Webb in no more than a couple of plays to generate additional confusion on the defense.
This Vikings team is not that different from the 2009 team. If our OL can perform, there’s no fundamental reason we should lose. With a solid game plan and quick adjustments we should be just fine.
Final score: Vikings 105 Chargers 0, Peterson 600 yards and 10 TD
(Okay, that’s just a tad unrealistic; but I’ll be at the game and I’d love to be able to say that I was there to witness history)
Madden '12
Out of pure frustration from listening to basically every football guru already crown the Detroit Lions “Winners of the Entire Universe”, I cranked my Madden ’12 game level down tp ROOKIE, decreased opposing skill level, and the MN Vikings ended up winning 114-0.
Peterson did have similar stats to your above post, naturally (although Ayodele was named “Player of the Game” for getting three sacks… which for some reason was considered more important, lol)
It was marvelous.
I think I glitched Chris Collinsworth, which was the true achievement. :)
by Odin'sDrunkenSon on Sep 8, 2011 8:41 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
McNabb and Ponder.
I made the mistake of letting the CPU handle cuts.
Webb didn’t make the cut, so I had Loeffler (is that his name?) as my 3rd string, hahaha.
Ponder had like two 70yd TD’s to Jenkins. It was glorious. :D
by Odin'sDrunkenSon on Sep 8, 2011 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Why do you say that?
Its not like the Chargers are known for being turnover machines. And the Vikings certainly aren’t a turn-over causing defense. Seems we always let the easy ints go, and we haven’t changed anything to fix that.
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Sep 9, 2011 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Peterson 296 yrds rushing vs who?
i’ll take “Outrageously awesome NFL records in the history of the NFL” for 400, Alex.
Vikings Valhalla .com
Chargers are '11 '10's Cowboys
The fact that nearly everyone is picking the Chargers to win the AFC W is no surprise. It has been one of the worst divisions in the NFL for the better part of…a long time. A nine win team in this division does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Whether or not the Bolts wind up impressing this year will be settled soon enough. But nothing is pointing to this team trending upward.
The VIkes are in a good position to maximize the talent on their roster. They are going to be far more competitve than the sports intelligensia seem to think.
I hope so…. because I’m getting tired of hearing about our inevitable 4-12 season from the ‘experts’. :(
by Odin'sDrunkenSon on Sep 8, 2011 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions
No way are the Chargers like the Cowboys last year
The Chargers dealt with just as much injuries as the ’Boys did, and Rivers still managed to have an MVP caliber season. The only thing that de-railed them was a slow start and ST issues. If their WRs and TE can stay healthy, this team is going to be dangerous, simple enough.
I get it, we don’t wanna sound like we’ve given up on winning the game already, but come on. There’s no way the Chargers will go 6-10 like the ’Boys last year. As long as Rivers is healthy, that team is going to make some noise.
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Sep 9, 2011 3:02 PM CDT up reply actions
There there, that's ok, we still luv ya.... Here, have a slice of cherry pie :)
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
This game is Frazier's first and biggest test as HC
Any average coach that’s come through the Viking’s 2010 grinder and the shortened prep-time this year would be expected to bring a team to SD that isn’t ready to take the field. A team that’s tentative with the playbook, blowing routes and checkdowns, newbies drawing more than their share of penalties as they struggle alone to do what they think their job is.
But a really good coach coming into this game with the same background might be able to wield 53 players into a real team, one that’s firing on all cylinders by sometime in the 2nd quarter. And if that happens, the Vikings stand a good chance of putting on an excellent showing come Sunday, with at least as good a shot at winning as any other team. A really good coach will already have the Charger’s fully game-planned against and every Viking in a position to maximize his ability against their weaknesses.
Beyond that, I think the biggest key to this game will be the Vikings ability to consistently run the ball, control the clock. And our amazing RB corps can do that best if McNabb can air it out occasionally and keep the Charger’s D honest. On the other side, the D-line needs to be able to constantly pressure Rivers and not give him time put our secondary to too much of a test.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Same picture, different lens
Basically see the same picture, although I see Pagac and Musgrave standing shoulder to shoulder with Frazier. My lens is a bit different on the running game/passing game, though. You se the passing game opening up the running game, and I see Petersoon pounding out runs that open up the passing game. What’s the difference? Maybe none at all, except that I think the big plays will come from the play action passes – a la the 1st quarter against the ’Boys in preseason, where both the good runs and passes (swings to Kleinsasser, TD bomb) came out of 3TE or 2 TE/FB sets.
TiggerSr
I want to see three tight ends lining up on the left side again
Just because it warms the cockles of my heart to see defenses dumbfounded.
I'm like the Dali Lama of kicking ass
Musgrave
I just want to see multiple backs behind McNabb, instead of the Chilly/Bevell way… which was basically just Adrian back there alone with a huge sign reading “YEAH. THEY ARE HANDING THE BALL OFF TO ME THIS TIME- AGAIN!”
Make the defense guess. Get some redirection. Get Percy in motion more often. FINALLY USE ALL OF THOSE VERSATILE WEAPONS THAT HAVE BEEN WASTED!!!!
by Odin'sDrunkenSon on Sep 8, 2011 4:30 PM CDT reply actions
Good ideas!
Plus to my understanding, Sherrels has gotten the nod to return punts. Maybe he can bust one and develop into our own personal version of Devin Hester. You never know. This purple kool-aid is good stuff!
Love the optimism
I think KWill is going to be missed and the runs right up the middle will be productive for San Diego which in turn will open up other things for their offense.
I do not know what the Vikings offense is going to be able to do at all with the new line and new QB and new system. Preseason is meaningless. It is good work but hardly an indicator of future success or failure.
I just do not know if the offense can be consistent right now. Maybe after a few games?
The only hope I have is if San Diego’s special teams are as awful as they were last year and they give up a big play.
I cannot say that I believe the Vikings will win.
A playoff team on the road with a Pro Bowl level QB is a tough assignment.
I am hoping for a win though! :)
Its simple!
We don’t turn the ball over, we win this game. We give that offense extra opportunities its going to be too much on the plate for our new look offense to battle.
The chargers have turned their team too one dimensional. If their passing game isn’t on point, it’ll be a longggg game for them.
SKOL
That's really a big IF though
With our shakey secondary, especially in the back-end, Rivers shouldn’t have too many issues just lighting us up. Plus Gates is just a freakish athlete, and we typically have trouble covering TEs. They should be able to be one-dimensional on us and still have some success unless the CBs and Safeties really step up their game.
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Sep 9, 2011 3:09 PM CDT up reply actions
honeslty it's going to depend on how much pressure we put on him
Our secondary is kinda up in the air right now, I don’t expect amazing things from them but Cook and Griffen are better than the people we had in there last year so we should hope to see a bump in it. If we can get some penetration from the defensive line we will be in a solid position, but in reality I don’t think we match up well against San Diego and I think it’s going to come down to our scheme. If we can get a bit craft with our blitzes early and shake Rivers up a bit we can have a chance. If we were last years team I wouldn’t even talk about this as Childress was basically vanilla across the board but seeing what we did to Vick last year I think we might have a chance of surprising people.
Plus last time we played them I believe everyone picked us to lose badly and AD had a career day.
I'm like the Dali Lama of kicking ass
I have the Vikings down as a Win
not being an enternal Optimist but our depth blew out the Texans and that will prevail.
Vikings are underdogs and naturally the Chargers are expected to Win.
It’s a different team now. It’s not a Brett, ’I’m riding off into the Sunset’ streak with a luxury of making interceptions at the expense of the team and turning many potential ‘Wins’ into losses.
The Chargers has no clue what they’re getting.
by VikesFanSince1967 on Sep 9, 2011 2:01 PM CDT reply actions
I agree
ground & pound, keep Rivers off the field. That’s how we win.
When he is behind center, blitz him constantly. Floyd and Jackson are WAY too good- and if we allow Rivers to sit back in the pocket we are going to get lit up all day.
by Odin'sDrunkenSon on Sep 9, 2011 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Just wanna point out it says that
Vincent Jackson is the Vikings TE in your fantasy focus. I wish that were true :(
For a team that has consistently struggled to stay on top of TEs, he probably will tear us apart. If I was Rivers, I’d be licking my chops and throwing to Gates all day long. He’s gonna be open.
Well, nevermind this,
just re-read it, and I totally got it completely wrong. D’oh. Need a remove post button!
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Sep 9, 2011 3:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Daily Norseman
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
