The Steelers (2-1) and Vikings (also 2-1) face off this Sunday in an international game in Dublin. Ahead of the matchup, I chatted with the lead writer of SB Nation’s Vikings website, Christopher Gates,
to preview Pittsburgh’s upcoming opponent.
You can read my questions and his answers below:
1. The Vikings are dealing with several injuries to their starting offense. Most notably, it’ll be Carson Wentz, not J.J. McCarthy, starting at quarterback. How much will this affect the Minnesota offense?
While I obviously believe that J.J. McCarthy is the long-term answer for the Vikings, it might be a good thing for the Vikings to have someone like Wentz at quarterback right now. Kevin O’Connell referred to him as a “point guard” after Sunday’s win, and that’s what the Vikings need with the talent they have at the skill positions.
The single biggest change to the offense last week compared to Weeks 1 and 2 is the return of Christian Darrisaw at left tackle. Darrisaw tore his ACL halfway through last season and missed the first two games, during which Justin Skule got absolutely worked. Having Darrisaw out there at left tackle allows the offense to do so much more, and I hope we’ll see that when McCarthy returns, but for now Wentz will benefit from it and be able to use his experience to run the Minnesota offense.
2. With Jordan Addison returning for Week 4, how big of a boost will that provide for the Vikings offense?
It’s going to be a huge addition, I believe. While defenses are focused on Justin Jefferson, and rightfully so, the rest of the wide receivers for the Vikings don’t really have the ability to make defenses pay for that focus. Addison does, as evidenced by the numbers he’s put up in his first two seasons.
His return will also have a ripple effect down the depth chart, as now Jalen Nailor and Adam Thielen will slot in at WR3 and 4, which could help the Vikings create some mismatches as well. The Vikings have scored points this season (well, in two of their three games, anyway) without Addison, and his return should provide a significant boost all the way around.
3. Brian Flores’ defensive mind is chewing up offenses left and right for yet another season. How does the Vikings defense match up against the Pittsburgh offense?
The Pittsburgh offense appears to be a favorable matchup for the Vikings’ defense, at least on the surface. Pittsburgh has struggled to get anything going on the ground in the early going, and when the Vikings can get teams into 2nd or 3rd and long, it allows Flores to unleash more of the tricks that he has up his sleeve.
Some of that could be mitigated by the fact that the Steelers have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, and at this point there’s just about nothing that Rodgers hasn’t seen from an NFL defense, but if the Steelers continue to struggle to get things going in the running game, it could wind up being a long afternoon for the Steelers’ offense.
4. Who are two under-the-radar Vikings players, one on offense and one on defense, who will play a big role in Sunday’s game?
On offense, we’ll go with someone that Steelers fans might be familiar with in tight end Josh Oliver. Oliver spent his first three seasons in Baltimore and got a nice contract extension from the Vikings this offseason on the strength of him being one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. If the Vikings want to get things moving on the ground, Oliver will likely be a big part of it, and he’s just athletic enough to potentially be a factor in the passing game as well.
On defense, a guy who isn’t on everyone’s radar yet but probably will be soon is defensive lineman Jalen Redmond. The Vikings felt confident enough in Redmond and their other young defensive lineman to trade Harrison Phillips away this offseason, and Redmond has responded by playing very well over the first three weeks of the season. He’s not a classic run-stuffing nose tackle by any means, but he plays the run well enough and has been wreaking major havoc as a pass rusher early on. Fans might not know who Jalen Redmond is, but I can assure you that Arthur Smith does.
5. The Vikings are 2.5-point favorites right now. What’s your final score prediction, and why?
I think this spread is just about right. The Vikings appear to have gotten themselves back on track after their rough outing against Atlanta in Week 2, while the Steelers got a bounceback win of their own in Week 3. I’m sure that Aaron Rodgers doesn’t want to lose to Minnesota again, and he’ll very likely keep the Steelers in this game through sheer force of spite. In the end, however, I think the return of Jordan Addison and the struggles in the run game for the Steelers are going to make the difference. I’ll take the Vikings on Sunday. . . we’ll call it 24-20.
