Minnesota Vikings: 5 Keys To Success In 2015

Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) catches a pass for a touchdown as Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) chases from behind during the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

4. The team must be able to slow down their division’s elite receivers

The Green Bay Packers have Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, the Detroit Lions have Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, and the Chicago Bears have Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White, and Martellus Bennett.

The NFC North may be the scariest division in the league in terms of elite receivers.

In 2014, 23 players in the NFL had at least 1,000 yards receiving. Five of them play in the NFC North and will face the Vikings twice a year. Minnesota’s divisional opponents also have tight end Martellus Bennett who had 916 receiving yards last year and added Kevin White who some argued to be the best receiver in the 2015 draft class.

Last year there were five teams who had at least two players catch 1,000 yards worth of passes, and two of those teams were the Packers and Lions. The Bears would have been team number six if Martellus Bennett had accumulated only 84 more yards.

The Vikings defense is going to have its hands full this year trying to shut down some great receivers. Last year they did a fairly good job of this, holding each of these players under 100 yards every time they faced them, excluding Alshon Jeffery’s 11-catch 135 yard performance in week 11.

This year, the defense as a whole should be better than it was, but that could expose the team’s deficiencies when it comes to slowing down dominant receivers. Cornerbacks Terrence Newman, Josh Robinson, Xavier Rhodes, and Trae Waynes are all solid players, but none of them is a lock-down defender who can match up with an elite receiver for an entire game.

Many of the NFC North’s receivers had the best seasons of their careers in 2014, and are looking to improve upon this. The Vikings will need to develop some defensive schemes that will allow them to slow down these players, or they may find themselves giving up a lot of big games.

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