As we kick off the second half of the 2019 season, the 5-3 Kansas City Chiefs will host the 6-2 Minnesota Vikings.
The Chiefs are coming off a Sunday night loss to the Green Bay Packers and have dropped three straight home games. Kansas City was ravaged by injuries but hung tough against a very good Packers team. The Chiefs could get key players back from injury this week.
After a shaky start, the Vikings caught fire and have won their last four games. They have done it in convincing fashion, winning each game by double digits and outscoring their opponents by a combined 58 points. Minnesota has one of the most complete rosters in the NFL.
Let’s dive into this matchup and see what it will take for the Chiefs to get back into the win column.
CHIEFS-VIKINGS HISTORY
The Chiefs lead the all-time series over the Vikings with a 7-5 record, which includes Super Bowl IV. Kansas City, of course, won that game 23-7, securing its only Super Bowl championship in team history. Quarterback Len Dawson was the game’s MVP, completing 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown.
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The most recent matchup between these two teams came in 2015, which Minnesota won 16-10. That marked the Chiefs’ fifth straight loss, but they would right the ship and win their final 10 games.
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VIKINGS’ KEY ADDITIONS
G Josh Kline
DT Shamar Stephen
QB Sean Mannion
C Garrett Bradbury
RB Alexander Mattison
G Dru Samia
TE Irv Smith
VIKINGS’ KEY SUBTRACTIONS
RB Latavius Murray
S George Iloka
DT Sheldon Richardson
S Andrew Sendejo
QB Trevor Siemian
G Tom Compton
G Mike Remmers
G Nick Easton
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VIKINGS’ COACHING/SCHEMES
Mike Zimmer is in his sixth season as the Vikings head coach. Before going to Minnesota, Zimmer was a defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals. He is widely regarded as one of the best defensive minds in league history.
Offensive scheme
After taking over on an interim basis last season, Kevin Stefanski was named the full-time offensive coordinator this past offseason. Stefanski has been on the Vikings coaching staff since 2006 and has coached multiple positions on offense.
Zimmer also brought in former longtime head coach Gary Kubiak to be an offensive adviser and assistant head coach. Kubiak and Stefanski share similar philosophies, running a high percentage of running plays and play-action passes.
The Vikings running game features a lot of inside and outside zone running behind the fullback. Off of that comes a lot of different play-action concepts, including the bootleg, which has been a staple of Kubiak’s offenses. The Vikings lead the NFL in play-action passes and plays run from under center.
Stefanski’s offense mostly uses 21 personnel (two wide receivers, a tight end and two running backs — typically a halfback and fullback) and 22 personnel (one receiver, two tight ends and two backs). The Vikings have the No. 3-ranked offense in the NFL and have the second-most rushing yards.
Defensive scheme
When Zimmer came to Minnesota, he brought George Edwards in to be his defensive coordinator. The two have built one of the best defensive units in the NFL, having ranked in the top 10 in total defense since 2015. They run a base 4-3 scheme and favor the 4-2-5 nickel package (four linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs) in passing situations.
Zimmer and Edwards don’t blitz a lot, focusing primarily on stopping the run. Despite not blitzing heavily, the Vikings are known for disguising the blitz very well, keeping offenses constantly guessing. When they do blitz, their signature is the double A-gap blitz, which is when two linebackers rush through both A gaps.
The Vikings have the No. 7-ranked run defense and have only allowed one rushing touchdown on the season. Back in the secondary, they primarily play press-man coverage. Minnesota has the No. 8-ranked pass defense, led by All-Pro defensive backs Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith.
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KEY PLAYERS
QB Kirk Cousins
Cousins has been on a tear over his last four games, throwing for over 300 yards in three out of those four games and a combined 10 touchdowns. After a disappointing 2018, Cousins is thriving in Stefanski’s system, feeding off the running game and making big plays downfield off play-action. The eight-year veteran is on pace for his fifth 4,000-yard season.
RB Dalvin Cook
Cook is breaking out as one of the premier running backs in the NFL after an injury-riddled first two seasons. He leads the NFL in rushing with 823 yards and rushing touchdowns with nine. He is a physical downhill runner with underrated speed and great contact balance. Cook is also a great receiving back, catching 29 passes for 293 yards on the season.
WR Stefon Diggs
The athletic, speedy Diggs is on pace to set a career high in receiving yards and has established himself as one of the best deep threats in the league. He will line up all over the field. Diggs leads the NFL in receiving yards over the past three weeks, going over 140 yards in each game.
WR Adam Thielen
Thielen has established himself as one of the best slot receivers in the league over the last couple of seasons. He has tremendous hands and runs well after the catch. Thielen missed the last game due to a hamstring injury, but he should be ready to go for this game.
DE Danielle Hunter
Hunter leads the Vikings with eight sacks this season, tied for fourth-most in the NFL. He has 48 career sacks, which is the most of any player in NFL history before the age of 25. He is also great in run defense, racking up 39 tackles and a forced fumble this season.
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KEY MATCHUPS
Chiefs’ offensive tackles vs. DE Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter
We’ve already highlighted Hunter as one of the best pass rushers in the league, but Griffen, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is great in his own right. Whether it’s Patrick Mahomes or Matt Moore at quarterback in this game, the offensive tackles for the Chiefs have to keep them upright to beat a team the caliber of the Vikings.
Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is one of the best in the league and will probably hold his own, but there is a concern at left tackle. Cameron Erving has struggled this season and will likely be targeted by the Minnesota coaching staff.
If Eric Fisher returns from injury and plays in this game, he’s likely to be a bit rusty. He’ll need to get back in the swing of things quickly with Hunter and Griffen coming after him.
Chiefs’ linebackers vs. Dalvin Cook
The struggles of the Kansas City linebacking corps this season have been well documented. It’s decent at playing aggressive against the running game and getting pressure on the quarterback but struggles mightily in coverage and open-field tackling.
Perhaps the Chiefs will give Dorian O’Daniel, their fastest linebacker, a chance. He hasn’t been able to find the field much besides special teams, but at this point using him on defense more is worth a try. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will have to get creative and find solutions.
Chiefs’ receivers vs. Xavier Rhodes
The Chiefs’ receiving corps looks to be back at full strength, which is bad news for opposing secondaries. Tyreek Hill is his usual elite self, Mecole Hardman is making big plays weekly and Sammy Watkins seems healthy (for now) and made a couple of big catches last week.
Rhodes is the Vikings’ No. 1 cornerback and he has had a lot of success during his seven-year career. This season, however, Rhodes has fallen on hard times. He has allowed 317 receiving yards and three touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus.
Quarterbacks have a passer rating of 124.7 against him. He’s also been flagged seven times, tied for the most of any defensive back in the league. If the Chiefs have success against Rhodes early, he could be a weakness for the Kansas City offense to attack all game long.
OVERVIEW
In the big picture, the Chiefs will still be in first place in the AFC West if they lose this game, but they’ll be dangerously close to .500 at 5-4. A lot of players for Kansas City will likely be game-time decisions, and the Vikings are not a team you want to face with multiple starters out.
The strengths of the Vikings’ offense match up well with the weaknesses of the Chiefs’ defense. Kansas City will need to be disruptive in the Minnesota backfield and be opportunistic when it gets a chance at turnovers. Offensively for the Chiefs, they just need to keep riding the momentum from last week and protect the football.
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