The Steelers will travel to face the Minnesota Vikings in a primetime matchup Thursday in Minneapolis. Here are five things to know about the NFC North foe.
Kirk Cousins won’t beat himself — The veteran quarterback isn’t the NFL’s most explosive passer, but he may be its most responsible. His 25 touchdowns against just three interceptions give him one of the best ratios in the NFL, and it’s a major reason his Vikings rank toward the top of the league in turnover margin at plus-six for the season. He does not take many sacks — opponents have gotten to him just 18 times. And he’s on-target with a strong majority of his throws, evident in his 68.4 completion percentage. It all adds up to a very solid 106.3 passer rating, which would be the second-best mark of his career. Don’t let the Vikings’ 5-7 record fool you. He’s dangerous.
Justin Jefferson is going off — The second-year receiver from LSU has devastated defenses in much the same way he did as a rookie — just in greater volume. Already this season, he has 78 catches for 1,209 yards, putting him on pace to shatter his marks of 88 and 1,400 in 2020. And he’s still darn close to replicating his impressive efficiency with 15.5 yards per catch compared for 15.9 a year ago. Those are Pro Bowl and perhaps even All-Pro numbers, making him one of the toughest receivers the Steelers have faced all season. Across the field, Adam Thielen hasn’t been quite as robust as in years past but is still on pace for 1,000 yards. And receiver K.J. Osborn and tight end Tyler Conklin have proven to be consistent third and fourth targets. Both will likely finish with 600-700 yards. So the threats remain diverse despite Jefferson’s dominance.
Dalvin Cook is injured — The star running back was held out of the Vikings’ loss Sunday against previously winless Detroit with a shoulder injury. That’s never a good sign ahead of a short week. And his explosiveness was missed as backup Alexander Mattison failed to crack triple digits in rushing yardage despite 22 carries. The effort mimicked a season-long trend in which Minnesota’s rush efficiency struggles when its lead back is missing. So far this season, Cook has averaged 4.5 yards per carry while Mattison has averaged just 3.7. So the former’s status will be worth paying attention to throughout the week. If Cook is out again, it could be a real boon to a Steelers defense that’s been susceptible to the run at times. Also keep an eye on rookie lineman Christian Darrisaw. The rookie lineman also missed the Lions game with an ankle injury.
They can get after the passer — The Vikings rank second only to the Steelers with 36 sacks this season. And the pressure has come from all angles. Defensive end Danielle Hunter has six sacks. Opposite end Everson Griffen has five. Linebacker Eric Kendricks, defensive tackle Armon Watts and end D.J. Wonnum all have at least three. And a whopping 16 Vikings have been credited with at least a half-sack so far, making this one of the toughest and deepest pass-rushing fronts the Steelers’ defense has seen this season. Unfortunately ...
They’re vulnerable to the run — Worse, even, than the Lions team the Steelers saw at Heinz Field a few weeks ago. Minnesota ranks just behind at 29th in rushing yards allowed per game at 131.5. Only the New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans are worse. Of course, numbers like that haven’t exactly helped the Steelers this season. They struggled to get into much of a rhythm against both the Lions and Chargers. Nevertheless, Minnesota has shown it can give up the yardage in bunches. San Francisco shredded the Vikings for 200 yards at an average of 5.3 per carry just last week. And the Ravens team the Steelers just dispatched piled up 247 in a three-point victory back on Nov. 7. So it will be interesting to see how these two units match up.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: December 7, 2021, 12:00 p.m.
Updated: December 7, 2021, 12:21 p.m.
