The Minnesota Vikings have a chance to bounce back from the most embarrassing loss in team history when they host the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving night this Thursday.
It won’t be an easy task against a 6-4 Patriots team that is still coached by Bill Belichick. They will be prepared for everything the Vikings throw at them and their main concern will be to stop star wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
As we look forward to the game on Thursday night, we identified five keys for the Vikings to beat the Patriots.
Adjust, adjust, adjust
The loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday was due to two main factors: they slaughtered the Vikings in the trenches and the offense didn’t adjust. The film showed that head coach Kevin O’Connell had a solid game plan, but once the Cowboys’ defense started getting to Kirk Cousins consistently, he failed to adjust with any form of consistency. That is a big problem for the Vikings moving forward, but O’Connell will need to get it fixed quickly, especially going against Bill Belichick.
Get Justin Jefferson involved early
The Vikings have one of the best receivers in the National Football League and they need to make him a priority this Thursday night against the New England Patriots. Whether it be deep or short route concepts, they need to get him the ball frequently and let him work his magic with his route running and in open space.
Pressure the quarterback
The defense that Ed Donatell runs is built upon getting pressure with just four pass rushers. Against the Dallas Cowboys, the Vikings’ defense only generated 10 pressures with nobody registering more than two. Against a non-athletic quarterback in Mac Jones, they need to up their game and disrupt him in the pocket early and often. That will help a banged-up secondary that could see one of Kris Boyd or Duke Shelley starting on Thursday.
Make Blake Brandel's life easier
Brandel will be making his first start in his 21st career game and will be doing so protecting Cousins’ blindside at left tackle. The Vikings need to make things easier on him and they can do so in a lot of ways. Play-action, bootlegs, help from a tight end/running back and the short passing game are all ways that the Vikings can hide the fact that he isn’t Christian Darrisaw.
Play disciplined football
The Vikings have been among the league’s best in not committing penalties but they didn’t do a great job on Sunday against the Cowboys. They committed a season-high seven penalties for 59 yards and some of those penalties came in very untimely situations. Against a Belichick team, the Vikings will need to play their best football.
