Minnesota Vikings expert reveals what could be great news for Browns DE Myles Garrett’s chances of wrecking things on Sunday
The Browns’ identity may go hand-in-hand with one of Minnesota’s biggest issues.
The Cleveland Browns are a 1-3 football team heading overseas to London to play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday morning. It’ll be a game that Cleveland can win, but much of that is going to be impacted by whether or not the offense can get going for the Browns. Cleveland benched Joe Flacco after the loss to the Detroit Lions and they’ll be rolling out rookie QB Dillon Gabriel on Sunday.
Ahead of the matchup with the Vikings, I wanted to get readers here at A to Z Sports familiar with the opponent ahead. To do just that I caught up with our Minnesota Vikings expert Tyler Forness for three questions around this game.
What should the Browns expect from the Vikings’ offense with Carson Wentz at quarterback and Jordan Mason at running back?
The first game saw the Vikings run a lot of their core concepts without much adjustment. It’s been a frustrating part of Kevin O’Connell’s coaching strategy over his tenure, as he’s started seven different quarterbacks. Although Carson Wentz has only been with the team since the end of August, the easy buttons weren’t there in his first start. That completely changed last week with a ton of quick game with his deeper concepts mixed in.
That’s where Mason comes in. With Aaron Jones out, Mason has been the main back. They were able to destroy the Cincinnati Bengals on the ground, but Mason only had 16 carries to get his 116 yards and two touchdowns. He had 16 carries against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but just 57 yards. The issues on the offensive line could prevent the run game from being successful.
What do you expect Minnesota to do to make life tough on Dillon Gabriel on Sunday?
In the movie Remember The Titans, Coach Yoast gives up the Hall of Fame by taking on the officials in the semifinals. He has a quote in there that resonates hard for this game.
“You blitz all night.”
Against the Steelers, the Vikings blitzed Aaron Rodgers 64.7% of the time and they created a lot of chaos in doing so. When they didn’t, Rodger picked them apart, including that 75-yard slant to DK Metcalf for a touchdown.
Where things will be different is in the Vikings’ respect for Rodgers. They won’t be worried about Gabriel beating them over the top. I would expect a high amount of single high and a ton of pressure.
What is the Minnesota offensive line looking like currently and where can the Browns win on Sunday?
Oh, the offensive line is brutal. Christian Darrisaw is back healthy, and right guard Will Fries has been solid, but there are major questions at the other spots.
Center Ryan Kelly (concussion) is likely out, as is right tackle Brian O’Neill with a sprained MCL. Plus, Donovan Jackson is still recovering from wrist surgery. There could be as many as three backups starting. Oh, and the backup center Michael Jurgens missed practice on Wednesday with a lower leg injury. Going up against Myles Garrett and company could be a disaster.
Final score prediction?
This Vikings offense is in a weird place. O’Connell has adapted his game plan, but the execution hasn’t been good enough. Plus, with the offensive line issues against a very good Browns defense, this could end up being a disaster. However, Brian Flores’ defense is still first in EPA/play and that will get the Vikings the win in a very ugly game. Vikings 16, Browns 6
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