Minnesota Vikings: 4 steps to beating the Chargers
By Luke Sims
Nov 7, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) runs for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins in the third quarter at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings win 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
1) Feed Adrian Peterson
This seems to be something we talk about each week for the Minnesota Vikings. Feeding running back Adrian Peterson is the way to victory for this offense and when they follow this strategy they come away with wins.
In Week 1, Peterson carried the ball just 10 times for 31 yards. In Week 2, the Vikings got Peterson going with 29 attempts for 134 yards.
That’s the key to victory for the Vikings. The team has the 32nd ranked passing attack behind quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. That is by design more than it is a reflection of how poor Bridgewater has played. The quarterback is the fifth ranked passer according to Pro Football Focus and is the perfect complement to Peterson.
The Vikings win on the ground and that won’t change against the 21st ranked San Diego Chargers defense.
In this game, it would be nice to see Peterson get over 20 carries again. He really sets the tone on offense and helps establish a rhythm for the Vikings in a way that the passing attack simply doesn’t. Bridgewater is a great, accurate, efficient quarterback but he is not extremely gifted at establishing that gashing, pounding tone that the Vikings thrive on.