When Minnesota Vikings fans saw the New York Jets on their schedule last spring, many chalked it up as an automatic win. But when the Jets make their trip to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, they’ll be a team that is just as much of a contender as the Vikings.
The Jets didn’t get here by circumstance as head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas have done a great job assembling talent. That means there are numerous players the Vikings should be focused on if they want to come away with a victory.
1. Sauce Gardner
Vikings fans were smitten with Gardner before last year’s draft and it’s easy to see why. After being selected with the fourth overall pick, Gardner has already become one of the NFL’s best shutdown corners, grading No. 1 in Pro Football Focus coverage grades.
What’s even more impressive is that Gardner has only given up one touchdown on the season (which is questionable over who was in coverage) and didn’t allow a single touchdown in his three years at the University of Cincinnati.
The chances that Gardner will completely neutralize Justin Jefferson are slim but Gardner has already wrapped up Ja’Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs and Tyreek Hill this season. The biggest matchup in Sunday’s game, it could swing things New York’s way if Jefferson gets lost in the sauce.
2. Garrett Wilson
The Jets were aggressive in adding weapons for Zach Wilson in the draft and although Wilson has been benched, Garrett Wilson has lived up to his billing as a top-10 pick.
Through his first 11 games, Garrett Wilson has caught 49 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns. While they seem like modest numbers, most of them came while Zach Wilson was struggling under center and he racked up five catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over Chicago.
GARRETT WILSON 🏠 📞
pic.twitter.com/L6L0Hl5TH4— PFF (@PFF) November 27, 2022
Some of the league’s best receivers have gotten the best of the Vikings’ defense in recent weeks as Hill (12 catches, 177 yards), Jaylen Waddle (six catches, 129 yards), DeAndre Hopkins (12 catches, 159 yards, TD) and Diggs (12 catches, 128 yards) have turned in massive performances.
Although Akayleb Evans practiced in full on Wednesday, the Vikings are still without Cameron Dantzler and lost Andrew Booth Jr. to season-ending knee surgery. If they can’t stop Wilson, it could be another big day for an opposing receiver.
3. Mike White
Don’t laugh. White has proven himself to be a functional quarterback in limited sample size and in his lone start, he’s shown that he is also capable of torching an opposing defense.
White threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns against Chicago last Sunday but it’s not the first breakout performance of his career.
He threw for 405 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in a win over Cincinnati on Oct. 31, 2021, and started 7-for-11 for 95 yards and a touchdown before getting injured the following week against Indianapolis.
With Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, and former Vikings tight end Tyler Conklin at his disposal, getting the ball into the hands of his skill position players could lead the way for another big game.
4. Quinnen Williams
You could just look at the depth chart, see who’s starting on the interior defensive line and label them as a problem for the Vikings. This week’s challenge for Minnesota is Quinnen Williams, who is enjoying a breakout season.
Williams ranks fourth in the NFL among interior defensive linemen with an 89.9 overall defensive grade. The only other players with a better grade are Chris Jones, Dexter Lawrence and Aaron Donald.
Williams also ranks seventh with 39 quarterback pressures, which is a big problem for the Vikings’ interior linemen. Ed Ingram continues to lead all offensive linemen with 44 pressures and Ezra Cleveland allowed nine pressures to Jonathan Allen earlier this season.
Although the Vikings offensive line performed better against New England, they’ll likely be without Christian Darrisaw for another game, making the Jets an issue on Sunday.
5. Jermaine Johnson
The Jets have plenty of great defensive players including D.J. Reed, C.J. Mosley and Bryce Huff, but the biggest issue could be stopping a Minnesota native.
Johnson hasn’t put up eye-popping stats with just 2.5 sacks during his rookie season but he has made an impact against the run. In 83 snaps, Johnson has the highest run-stopping rate of all edge defenders at 12.7% and could be a big problem for the Vikings ground game.
Dalvin Cook has been able to inflate his stats with several big runs but his success rate ranks 22nd among all running backs according to Football Outsiders. While it takes just one carry to take one to the house, Cook had just 42 yards on 22 carries against New England on Thanksgiving night.
