Lunchbreak: Coller Evaluates ‘Sustainability’ of Vikings Week 1 Success

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Mar 19, 2019
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The Athletic ‘likes Vikings chances’ in Week 2 under certain circumstances


Each week, The Athletic’s Chad Graff and Arif Hasan respond to fan questions about previous and upcoming games, player performances and more.


The duo – as expected – fielded multiple questions this week about Minnesota’s upcoming Border Battle against Green Bay. One fan asked in what areas the Vikings can succeed offensively that the Bears didn’t in Week 1. As a refresher, the Packers defeated the Bears 10-3 on Thursday Night Football. Graff wrote:


For starters, I think the Vikings will actually try to run against the Packers. I still don’t quite understand why [Bears Head Coach] Matt Nagy didn’t call more running plays in the opener. David Montgomery looked great the few times he got the ball, but he was limited to just six carries — which still led all Bears rushers. Meanwhile, the Packers secondary looked much improved, part of why Mitch Trubisky only completed 57 percent of his 45(!) pass attempts.


In total, the Bears called 12 running plays — and one was Cordarrelle Patterson up the gut on third-and-one (which got stuffed). While [Packers DL Kenny] Clark is great up the middle, I do think that you can beat the Packers on rushes out wide, which is now the Vikings bread and butter.


So if it gets to a shootout, then you have to like [Packers quarterback Aaron] Rodgers’ chances at Lambeau Field. But if it stays a low-scoring game and the Vikings can keep relying on [Dalvin] Cook and their new zone rushing attack, I like the Vikings chances.



Another Packers-related question asked the following: “With the Packers likely using a similar game plan that they did against Chicago (loading the line, 6 DBs, 2 LBs), do you see the Vikings looking to do more quick passes or three-step drops with [Cousins] under center?”


Graff said he doesn’t believe Green Bay will use that same formula “after what Minnesota showed in the running game” against Atlanta.


If the Packers want to play with six defensive backs, I think the Vikings would gladly line up and hand the ball off to Dalvin Cook until the Packers showed they could stop it.
 
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