The Minnesota Vikings will be looking to avoid their first 0-4 start since 2011 when they take on the Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon. Every Vikings game comes with unpredictability, but here are five things you can count on.
1. A new-look offensive line
The Vikings signed Dalton Risner last week but he didn’t make his debut as he was getting up to speed with the playbook. Risner said he feels much more comfortable with the playbook coming into this week’s game but the Vikings likely didn’t pay him $4 million to sit on the bench.
That means Risner should enter the starting lineup. Who will he replace?
Ed Ingram is an easy guess after he allowed two sacks, six quarterback pressures, and two penalties (one declined) against the Chargers. Still, Risner played left guard throughout his four years in Denver, making Ezra Cleveland a candidate to get benched or moved to replace Ingram.
Garrett Bradbury is also listed as questionable with a back injury but the Vikings could opt to go with a complete overhaul after Kevin O’Connell declared the best five offensive linemen will play against the Panthers.
If that means Risner, Bradbury and Blake Brandel are on the interior, it could be a completely new look for the Vikings, who are looking to reconstruct their offensive line nearly a quarter of the way through the season.
2. Cam Akers’s debut
Cam Akers was the Vikings’ other acquisition last week, but like Risner, he sat out last week’s loss in order to get up to speed. O’Connell said on Wednesday that Akers should be active against the Panthers and he could have a large role at the expense of Alexander Mattison.
Mattison was relied upon to be the starting running back at the beginning of the season, but he’s struggled to find his footing with 155 yards on 39 carries in the first three games. While Mattison ran for 93 yards on 20 carries last week, he also lost the ball twice only to be bailed out by a pair of forward progress calls.
O’Connell’s threat to replace players who can’t hang onto the ball looms large here and Akers was brought in to bring a more stable presence to the backfield. Although Akers ran for just 29 yards on 22 carries in the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 1 victory over Seattle, he has familiarity with the Vikings scheme and should get plenty of work in his debut.
3. Bryce Young under center for Carolina
The Panthers have struggled through the first three weeks but their offense came to life with Andy Dalton under center last week. With Bryce Young returning to practice and expecting to start Sunday’s game, defensive coordinator Brian Flores may be licking his chops but his tendency to blitz could backfire against the rookie.
Young hasn’t had much go his way during his rookie season but he’s been able to handle the blitz. Young has completed 7 of 10 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in 14 dropbacks against the blitz, continuing the trend he started in college when he boasted a 119.2 passer rating in 182 dropbacks against the blitz during his final season at Alabama.
The potential return of Marcus Davenport, who is questionable with an ankle injury, could help the Vikings’ pass rush, but Flores will likely need to blitz to generate pressure, which could give Young a chance to attack downfield.
4. Adam Thielen’s revenge game
Adam Thielen is definitely excited to see his former team this week and while he plans on saying hello to everyone before kickoff he made it clear that leaving the Vikings wasn’t his decision.
“Well, they released me,” Thielen said when asked why he came to Carolina. “…I didn’t really have a choice.”
Those words make it feel like there may be some strife between the Detroit Lakes native and his childhood team and could fuel a big game on Sunday. Thielen struggled in his first game with the Panthers but turned it on in the second half of a Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints and caught 11 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks.
While most of that damage came with Dalton under center, Thielen is far and away the No. 1 target in Carolina. With the Vikings defense getting shredded by Justin Herbert last week, Thielen could be a security blanket to counter the blitz and come up with a big game.
5. The Vikings earning a one-score win in Carolina
An astounding 37 of Minnesota’s last 43 games have been decided by one score.
If you’re doing the math at home, that’s an 86% clip since the start of the 2020 season.
The Panthers are an 0-3 team but they have enough matchups to make life difficult for the Vikings this Sunday. Regardless, the Vikings should have enough firepower to come away with the win.
Prediction: Vikings 24, Panthers 17
