Ben GoesslingJohn Keim 9y

Redskins vs. Vikings preview

The Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins will meet for the fifth consecutive season on Sunday, continuing a series that has included some memorable moments recently.

On Nov. 28, 2010, the Vikings played their first game under Leslie Frazier after Brad Childress had been fired. Adrian Peterson tore his ACL on Christmas Eve in 2011, with backup quarterback Joe Webb leading the Vikings to a win at FedEx Field that effectively took the Vikings out of the running for the No. 2 overall pick. That pick wound up in the hands of the Redskins, who selected quarterback Robert Griffin III, and Griffin's 76-yard touchdown run helped the Redskins beat the Vikings in 2012. And last year, in a Thursday night game at the Metrodome, the Vikings used two quarterbacks and scored 20 unanswered points on their way to a 34-27 win.

This year's game could be memorable, as well. Griffin is expected to make his return from a dislocated ankle, while the Vikings' and Redskins' new coaches -- Mike Zimmer and Jay Gruden -- square off after three years together in Cincinnati.

ESPN Vikings reporter Ben Goessling and ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim break down this week's matchup.

Goessling: John, the big question for the Redskins, of course, is how their quarterback situation will shake out this week. Do you expect Robert Griffin III to be back in there this week, and, in light of how well Colt McCoy played against Dallas on Monday night, should Griffin get the job back right now?

Keim: It’ll be Griffin as long as there’s no setback between now and game time. The organization feels strongly that Griffin provides the best chance to win and, in fact, he was a lot closer a week ago than the coaches anticipated. If you want players to trust your word, then you have to follow through and play them when they’re ready. It must be obvious, though. McCoy played well in the second half of Monday’s game, but if the defense had not played great then I think there would have been a different narrative on McCoy’s night -- the first-half rustiness and missed opportunities. They had only three points in the first half despite great starting field position. McCoy gives them a calm presence, someone who responded well to adversity and made plays as the game unfolded. But they know developing Griffin is crucial to their future. It looks like that that future will resume Sunday.

Speaking of young quarterbacks, what have you thought of Teddy Bridgewater? Are his stats (only two touchdowns, 16 sacks) a byproduct of his youth or those around him?

Goessling: He’s had his moments, though I think any impressions of him have to be heavily influenced by all the uncertainty around him. He doesn’t have Peterson or Kyle Rudolph. Brandon Fusco (who was probably the Vikings’ best run-blocker and might have been their best lineman overall) is out for the season. A line that was supposed to be a strength has been abysmal in pass protection. It’s not anywhere close to the environment the Vikings thought they’d have for Bridgewater, and none of this mentions the fact they had planned to keep him on the bench longer than they did, until Matt Cassel got hurt in Week 3. All things considered, I think he’s done about what you’d expect. The encouraging thing about Bridgewater is he doesn’t seem overtly rattled by the pass rush. He’s been willing to stay in the pocket and go through his reads rather than bailing at the first sign of trouble, like we often saw Christian Ponder do. He’s athletic enough to make plays with his feet, but I think he knows that’s a skill best used to extend plays rather than an alternative to finding his receivers.

The Vikings look like they’ll be in for a tough test against the Redskins’ blitz package on Sunday, although it seems like the teams that solve it find plenty of room to operate against that secondary. What’s the key to beating the Redskins’ defense right now?

Keim: The Redskins’ defense has done a pretty good job this season -- 11th in total yards but 22nd in points. The latter is in part because of offensive turnovers, putting the defense in bad spots. The big issue for them often stems from youthful mistakes in the secondary -- they start a second-year corner and a rookie. Safety Ryan Clark hasn’t been a security blanket deep, and safety Brandon Meriweather, coming off a terrific game, will make mistakes in coverage. So, too, will linebacker Perry Riley (when in zone coverage). The key is to take advantage when those issues arise -- they happen a couple of times a game. The Redskins do a good job of being creative with blitzes; Dallas did a poor job of anticipating what was coming. If a team blocks it right, big plays will follow, especially if a quarterback can buy himself a little time. Heck, Tennessee’s Charlie Whitehurst missed a few guys who were open for what should have/could have resulted in touchdowns. But it’s the offense that usually hurts the Redskins’ defense -- it has given up 54 points off turnovers.

I know Mike Zimmer is a defensive coach, but it seems like he’s turned that group around rather quickly. Why is that, and what’s gotten into Everson Griffen? The guy looks great.

Goessling: It’s not a finished product yet -- the Vikings still have a young secondary prone to some lapses in coverage, and they’ve struggled to stop the run at times -- but the defense certainly is in a different place than it was last year. Part of it is a change in personnel; the Vikings added Linval Joseph and Captain Munnerlyn, drafted Anthony Barr and got Harrison Smith healthy. Those four players are probably among the six most important in the Vikings’ defense, so that has to be considered, too. But Zimmer’s system, and his attention to detail, has made a big difference. We’re not seeing the busted coverages we saw last year. The defense is getting off the field on third downs, and though young corners such as Xavier Rhodes and Josh Robinson still have a ways to go, they’ve been much better in man coverage than they were last year. As for Griffen, he’s finally playing in one spot after the Vikings moved him around the last couple years, and he made a point to bulk up this spring in preparation for an every-down role. He used to disappear too easily, but he’s got the strength now to punish left tackles when they try to compensate for his speed. The Vikings took a risk in giving him a five-year deal, but the confidence they showed meant a lot to him, and he’s certainly proving them right so far.

While we’re on the subject of Griffen, he leads a pass rush that’s tied with the Jaguars for the second-most sacks in the league. How effectively do you think the Redskins will be able to protect their quarterback on Sunday, and how much does whatever familiarity Jay Gruden has with Mike Zimmer’s defense help in that regard?

Keim: Well, that all depends on the situation. Are they running the ball well and avoiding third-and-longs? If so, then I think they’ll be OK. If they aren’t, then it could be a long night. You have a quarterback in Griffin who has not played since Week 2 facing a team that shows a lot of creative looks and likes to blitz. So this is as much about the quarterback being able to help himself with quick reads and decisions and avoiding danger. Griffin didn’t always do this in the past, so I’m not sure how much that will change when he hasn’t played in a while. One positive for Washington is that left tackle Trent Williams will face Griffen. But the Redskins have had issues on the right side all season; that’s an area Minnesota likely should, and will, attack. The fact that Gruden knows Zimmer’s defense helps from the standpoint that he knows how aggressive he likes to play and how he might handle certain looks. But the flip side is true, as well; Zimmer knows what Gruden likes against certain looks. So I don’t know who has the advantage -- and smart coaches always tailor different things to personnel anyway. What they both might have done in Cincinnati has been tweaked to fit the talent, though their philosophies have not.

Zimmer was presented a huge issue right away with the Peterson case. How has Zimmer handled this, and what sort of difference has he made overall?

Goessling: He's handled it well, from my perspective. He's admitted how much it was to deal with in September, but the Vikings have found a running game with Jerick McKinnon and are starting to forge an identity away from Peterson (which will probably be important going forward). Their defense has improved markedly, which is a credit to Zimmer, and I think the defense will eventually be the key to this team, which hasn't been the case in quite a while. Zimmer isn't one to feel sorry for himself, and that was evident during the first stages of the Peterson ordeal.

^ Back to Top ^