Insider Gives Insight on Vikings' Revamped Defense and Weapons Ahead of Sunday's Matchup Against Bengals

CINCINNATI — The Bengals play the Vikings on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.

All Bengals asked Will Ragatz of InsidetheVikings.com a few questions ahead of the matchup. Check out his answers below.

1. What are the expectations for Patrick Peterson and the rest of this defense?

"No one knows exactly how this revamped defense will mesh, given that several key players were held out of the preseason entirely. But on paper, it looks like a top-ten unit in the NFL with the potential for more. The run defense should be excellent with Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson up front and Eric Kendricks making plays behind them.

"Danielle Hunter looked like his pre-injury self during training camp and should wreak havoc as the focal point of a pass rush that also features D.J. Wonnum, Sheldon Richardson, and Everson Griffen. The big question is the secondary, with aging corners Patrick Peterson and Bashaud Breeland hoping to cut down on penalties and shine under Mike Zimmer. Expecting Peterson to return to an elite level of play at age 31 is asking too much, but he has a chance to revive his career by no longer having to shadow top receivers across the field. The presence of Harrison Smith at safety should help the corners. This is a talented, experienced defense built almost entirely on players who weren't part of last year's disaster on that side of the ball."

2. How does Anthony Barr being out impact what the Vikings do?

"It's definitely a big loss, although it's not one the Vikings can't overcome. Nick Vigil—one of their many free agent acquisitions on defense—will step in for Barr and play a nearly every-down role against his former team. The Vikings have liked what he's brought to their defense throughout camp. Barr wears the green dot on his helmet and relays the defensive playcalls, so that responsibility will fall to Vigil as well (the Vikings like to let Kendricks focus on making plays all over the field).

"Vigil is likely a bit better than Barr in coverage due to being smaller and quicker, so that part won't be an issue. Where losing Barr hurts is in run defense and on third downs. He's an excellent tackler and is a key piece in Zimmer's creative pressure packages and blitzes. Look for Wonnum, a starting defensive end, to play a bit of hybrid role and spend some time off the ball at linebacker. Blake Lynch is a bigger linebacker that they can bring in to help against the run or blitz Joe Burrow."

3. Is Mike Zimmer on the hot seat?

"I don't think it's hot—yet. Zimmer is one of the best defensive coaches in the league, sets a high floor for the team, and has established a great culture in Minnesota. But if the Vikings miss the playoffs for the second straight year for the first time in his tenure, the heat will be turned up on everyone involved, particularly Zimmer, general manager Rick Spielman, and quarterback Kirk Cousins.

"Another slow start—the Vikings are 3-7-1 in September since signing Cousins in 2018—would absolutely create some tension and start narratives about the team needing to make serious changes and go in a different direction. It would be interesting to see what the ramifications would be if the season doesn't go the way they think it will. One of Zimmer or Spielman could be the scapegoat, but my feeling is that they'll either stay or go together. Although, with that said, if the defense plays extremely well and the Vikings fall short because of the offense, perhaps Zimmer could convince ownership to keep him around but get a new GM and/or quarterback. It's going to be interesting! To answer your question, I'd describe Zimmer's seat as lukewarm right now, with the potential to heat up quickly."

4. How good can this offense be this season and is it different with Klint Kubiak calling plays?

"The Vikings were a borderline top 10 offense a year ago and may have gotten better on the offensive line, so this could certainly be a great group once again. Cousins has mostly shined in this Kubiak/Shanahan scheme, which emphasizes play action and maximizes Cousins' strengths as a passer. In Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen, the Vikings likely have the second-best RB-WR-WR trio in the NFL, trailing only the Titans. But there are also plenty of reasons to be concerned about regression.

"The Vikings' offense had great injury luck in 2020, which already has proven not to be the case this year: projected breakout tight end Irv Smith Jr. is out for the season and first-round pick Christian Darrisaw has dealt with a nagging injury all offseason and won't be the starter at left tackle for a while. New offensive line starters Rashod Hill and Oli Udoh need to play well, the tight end group needs to step up, and Cousins needs to take care of the football. If all those things happen and no one important gets hurt, this offense could be quite good. Going from Gary Kubiak to Klint Kubiak likely won't change much; the scheme is still the same and they're going to run the ball a lot. It'll be interesting to see what kind of wrinkles the younger Kubiak has added and how he does as a first-time playcaller."

5. What's the biggest thing the Vikings need to do to win the game?

"Make life difficult for Burrow. Offensively, the Vikings should be able to put up points at a decent rate in Cincinnati. In order to avoid a potential shootout with a talented Bengals offense, they've got to get after Burrow. That means getting pressure with Hunter and the rest of the front four, but also utilizing plenty of blitzes. They need to take full advantage of a Bengals offensive line that hasn't proven itself. If Burrow has all day to sit in the pocket, it'll make things hard for the Vikings' corners in their matchup with an excellent receiving corps.

6. What's your prediction for the game?

It's always tough to know what to expect in the season opener, but I think the Vikings win this game. They just have the better roster. Cook, Jefferson, and Thielen could all have big days, and the new-look defense should make things happen. I'll say Minnesota takes it 31-23.

Make sure you bookmark AllBengals for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more with the season opener just a few days away!

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