The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Detroit Lions in the second annual winter whiteout on Christmas Eve in week 16.
During the Vikings 7-7 campaign, they have dealt with a myriad of injuries and struggles throughout the year. From losing star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to starting four quarterbacks due to injuries and poor play, it’s been an excellent coaching job from both Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.
They still face an uphill battle if they want to win the NFC North. Just one Vikings loss or Lions win will give Detroit their first division title since 1993 when it was the NFC North.
During Sunday’s game against the Lions, these storylines will be pivotal to watch.
Managing editor Tyler Forness: Can Jordan Addison continue taking that next step?
When the Vikings decided to draft a wide receiver in the first round, the idea was to pair star wide receiver Justin Jefferson with a running mate. They took Addison in the first round at 23rd overall and he’s been as advertised from the jump.
So far in his rookie season, Addison has 62 receptions for 824 yards and nine touchdowns and has a chance to break 1,000 yards as a rookie with three games left. Now that Jefferson is back, Addison isn’t the focus of the secondary and it manifested with a big day against the Cincinnati Bengals. If he can continue this pace, the Vikings are going to be set for a long time.
Columnist Judd Zulgad: How will Nick Mullens be managed?
Mullens threw for more than 300 yards and two touchdowns in his first start of the season, but he also had two back-breaking interceptions in the loss to the Bengals. Coach Kevin O’Connell has elected to stick with Mullens, but the veteran must avoid the mistakes that have plagued him during his career. It will be interesting to see if O’Connell makes any alterations in his play calling to try to help Mullens stay away from trying to play “hero ball” at inopportune times.
Columnist Saivion Mixson: Can the defense bounce back?
Jake Browning and the Bengals offense did what they wanted against the Vikings, putting up an EPA/play of .127 on the day, their worst performance since their week five matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. For reference, the Miami Dolphins are second in EPA/play for the season with .120.
It doesn’t get any easier with the Detroit Lions coming into town with their high-flying offense that can attack a defense in multiple ways. Their offense is predicated by their run game, which defensive coordinator Brian Flores described as “diverse” in his time with the media this week. Their passing game has weapons all over the field with talents like burgeoning star Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta. How will the Vikings respond after one of their worst performances in almost two and a half months?
Columnist Chris Spooner: Who is RB1?
For the majority of the season, the featured running back in the Vikings offense has been Alexander Mattison. He inherited the role after the departure of Dalvin Cook, and the coaching staff was right to give him the first crack at the job. But it’s clear that he hasn’t exactly been what they had hoped. They brought in Cam Akers for a reason, and while Mattison continued to be the main back, those two had a relatively even split for the most part.
Then last week, with Mattison out, Ty Chandler saw his number called and he made the most of his opportunity – something Mattison has largely failed to do all season. Chandler became the first Vikings running back to eclipse 100 yards in a game since Cook did so in the middle of last season. Now with Mattison back but Chandler clearly showing he’s the more explosive back, how is the workload going to be handled? Does Mattison retain his ‘featured back’ status, or has Chandler shown the coaching staff enough to take that title?
