Vikings vs. Steelers: Dublin Edition

New season, new traditions.

The Minnesota Vikings play an “away” game in Ireland on Sunday at 8:30 am Central Standard Time. If this game were ten years ago, I would be watching it on four hours of sleep and been a big lump for the entire day. I would likely be recovering from a late night of bartending and maybe one too many Guinness Pints or Jameson shots. Fast forward to being in my mid-30s, with a soon-to-be 3-year-old wreaking havoc on my house, finding myself welcoming the early game. There is nothing quite like the fresh smell of Vikings football first thing in the morning.

When I think of Vikings Vs. Steelers, my brain automatically triggers the memory of Adrian Peterson absolutely demolishing William Gay and making him question his life choices. The matchup feels like old school football. I hope we see a smashmouth defensive exhibition. After watching some film of the Steelers’ recent game against the Patriots, I feel confident in talking about some keys to victory for Minnesota.

Protect the rock. Secure the victory.

In Week 3, New England turned the ball over five times, two of them occurring in the red zone. Drake Maye has looked impressive in his sophomore season, and I can definitely see why he was making a case to be the number one quarterback in last year’s draft. He has a strong arm and a tight throwing motion. His mobility was giving Pittsburgh fits all day. However, he threw a bad pick in the end zone that cost them a touchdown. Rhamondre Stevenson also fumbled twice, including on the one-yard line. The Patriots ended the day with a +4 turnover differential and still only lost by one score.

Pittsburgh capitalized on those turnovers last week, so ball security is crucial to secure the win for Minnesota. Actually, that’s the case for most games in the KO era. Under O’Connell, the Vikings are 30-3 when they win the turnover battle and 4-14 when they lose it. At the ripe old age of 32, Carson Wentz doesn’t possess the mobility that Drake Maye does (obviously). Look for him to use his veteran experience to quickly diagnose plays and make smart decisions with the football. The smartest thing he can do is not throw it anywhere near Jalen Ramsey.

T.J. Watt should be the focal point of the Minnesota offensive line, and I envision heavy doses of Josh Oliver coming in to help block. Jordan Mason needs to do his best impression of Jax from Mortal Kombat and put a vice grip on the football. (I am obviously talking about Jax post getting-his-arms-ripped-off-by-Goro). If we do that, I foresee us holding off the Steelers in a tight defensive battle.

The defensive riser to keep an eye on.

Our defensive line unit is peppered with maulers and stalwarts, who can define a game simply by exerting their will on opposing offenses. One lineman on the rise is Levi Drake Rodriguez. He has been a monster in stopping the run, and he showed it last Sunday against Cincinnati. He made some great plays in the Cincinnati backfield, but one play in particular comes to mind, with the Bengals deep inside their own territory.

On the play, LDR took on a double team by the center and right guard. He pushed them so far back that it took away a running lane for Samaje Perine, who then had to attempt to cut back, only to be met by Eric Wilson, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Theo Jackson. Drake Rodriguez was creating havoc in Cincinnati’s backfield all day, along with, well, the entirety of the defensive line. If the Vikings continue that dominance in the run game against the Steelers, it should be smooth sailing tomorrow in Ireland.

Father time is the least of his worries.

Aaron Rodgers has played in the NFL for a long time. In his 20th season, he looks a little different than he did when he dressed in the puke green and yellow pee colored jersey. He can still launch the ball down the field with a flick of the wrist in an instant. Brian Flores’ scheme is going to be what determines the type of day A-Aron has. If B-Flo brings some confusing pre-snap looks like he did against the Bengals and can make Rodgers hesitate for even a moment after the ball is snapped, our defense will feast.

Rodgers absolutely abhors getting sacked, and he will do everything in his power to avoid it. As long as the Vikings continue to improve some of their tackling woes we saw in the first two games of the season and can swarm to the football, I think we can stymy the enigmatic Steelers offense.

Keep a watchful eye from the sidelines.

J.J. McCarthy should be paying close attention on the sideline. I can’t remember if he was present for last season’s London game against the Jets, but the second-year signal caller has a chance to witness one of the best who have ever done it, up close and personal. I hope he takes notes on being decisive and is inspired by Rodgers’ quick release. Something that I feel like we didn’t see much from McCarthy in the first two weeks was the ability to make the quick, short throws. Rodgers is one of the most talented throwers of the football in the modern NFL era, and McCarthy could benefit by emulating parts of his game after he returns.

That ain’t no guess. That’s what it’s gon’ be.

The Minnesota defense has only allowed four touchdowns through the first three games of this season. I think they are going to make the ratio one touchdown allowed per game, holding the Steelers to 4 field goals in a 23-12 victory. Book it!

Until Next Time.

• Jesse M.