Mike Zimmer has had his fair share of tough NFC North matchups with Jordan Howard, so the Vikings head coach knows from past experience, just how dominating the Eagles running back can be.
Howard went over the 100-yards rushing mark against Minnesota three times during his tenure with the Bears and when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium, Zimmer will likely make stopping Howard his primary focus.
During a conference call with Philly media, Zimmer talked about the added dimension that Howard brings to the Eagles defense.
“I think Howard’s added another dimension to them,” Zimmer said via Penn Live.
When asked to elaborate, Zimmer hinted at the physicality and powerful running style that Howard has incorporated into the Eagles finesse style of offense.
“He’s good all the time, but he’s always going to fall forward,” Zimmer said. “He’s really, really good feet and vision, and he runs with his pads low and forward, so you might hit him at eight and it ends up second-and-4.”
Sunday’s game will carry serious playoff implications for both teams and with the Vikings only allowing 3.6 yards per rush this season, it’ll be imperative for Howard to get off to a positive start on Sunday, softening Minnesota’s vaunted defense up for the deep ball over the top.
