Four Vikings Weaknesses the Broncos Need to Exploit in Week 11

This isn’t going to be an easy matchup for the Denver Broncos — going on the road against a very tough team playing really good football. Even though the Broncos have an extra week to prepare, the Minnesota Vikings are one of the better teams in the league and the obstacles they present might be too much to overcome.

Despite how good the Vikings are, they have some weaknesses that the Broncos can exploit. Minnesota is really good against the run, though Linval Joseph being ruled out may help Denver on the ground.

If the Broncos aren’t going to be able to get a running game going, there is going to be a lot more that falls on the shoulders of QB Brandon Allen. That isn’t a bad thing, as the Viking’s weaknesses come in pass coverage especially, but putting the onus primarily on the inexperienced Allen isn't exactly a recipe for success.

Yes, the Vikings are a stout and talented team. So how can the Broncos attack them? Where are the vulnerabilities in Minnesota? Let's dive in.

1: Attack the Interior O-Line

Saying the Vikings interior offensive line is bad in pass protection is an understatement. Josh Kline has been their best interior offensive lineman, but he has been struggling and has been dealing with an injury that will cause him to miss Week 11.

In Klein's place is Dakota Dozier, who has given up 13 total pressures with one sack, four hits, and eight hurries. Rookie Garrett Bradbury, Minnesota's first-round center, has allowed 20 pressures, but only one sack and one hit.

Bradbury has been great in the running game, so the Broncos defensive line is going to have its work cut out for it there. However, Denver should be able to get pressure up the middle off of Bradbury.

Pat Elflein has been their full-time guard, and he has been terrible this year. He has given up 23 total pressures with five of them sacks, two hits and 16 hurries. Unlike Bradbury, he hasn’t been doing great as a run blocker to balance out the poor pass protection.

Things have been coming together for Denver's D-line. The Broncos' use of stunts and twists has really benefited the D-line in getting pressure. Against the Vikings, though, getting pressure won’t be enough. The rushers will have to get home.

2: Attack Kendricks & Barr with Fant & RBs

The Vikings defense is great against the run, but they have struggled in coverage and linebackers Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr have been culprits. This is an area the Broncos can exploit with their reserve wide receivers, running backs and even their tight ends.

Kendricks has been a really good LB in the NFL, but it has been against the run more so than in coverage. He has allowed 29-of-47 targets to be caught for 356 yards and two touchdowns on the year, while allowing an opposing passer rating of 98.1. It is a slight improvement from a year ago, but still very exploitable for the Broncos especially with an athletic tight end like Noah Fant.

The Vikings also have Barr, who is a capable pass rusher and can drop into coverage as well. Last year, he allowed three touchdowns in coverage but has only relinquished two scores thus far in 2019. That is the only area he has been better this year, having allowed 32-for-44 targets to be caught for 314 yards two touchdowns and one interception this year.

All of last season, Barr allowed 22-of-30 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns.

3: Rhodes & Waynes are Prime for Picking (on)

For as good as their run defense is, Minnesota's pass coverage is just bad. I already highlighted the LBs, but what about the cornerbacks? It wasn’t that long ago when the Vikings had one of the best CB duos in the NFL.

It is safe to say that isn’t the case this year. Both corners have struggled, and with Courtland Sutton, the Broncos can take advantage of that. Xavier Rhodes has really struggled this year having allowed all but seven targets to be caught. He is allowing a 121.3 QB rating when targeted, giving up up 43 catches in coverage for 415 yards and three touchdowns.

There was a time Rhodes was considered one of the best corners in the NFL, but this season he has been one of the worst. In fact, Rhodes is eighth-worst out of 50 in the NFL among qualifying corners in QB rating allowed.
His counterpart, Trae Waynes, isn’t that far behind. He ranks 22nd in QB rating allowed at 109.2. On the season, Waynes has given up 42-of-60 targets to be caught for 482 yards with only one interception to four touchdowns.

It has been a down year for both corners, but the safeties have been able to provide some help for them and it's Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith who make the Vikings secondary somewhat dangerous. Like Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson, Harris and Smith are one of the top safety duos in the NFL.

Harris is allowing a 66.9 QB rating with Smith at 60.8, which out of 26 qualifying safeties, ranks No. 7 and 5, respectively. Between the two safeties, they have four interceptions and no touchdowns allowed.

That means Brandon Allen and the Broncos have to exploit the corners, but be cautious of the safety duo the Vikings have. They are one of the few that can actually rival what Denver has as the best safety duo in the NFL. They will make Allen pay if he doesn’t make smart reads and accurate throws.

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4: Get Cousins on the Ground

This one is tough. The Broncos can’t just sell out to pressure Kirk Cousins. Most quarterbacks are much worse under pressure, but that isn’t the case with Cousins. It does affect him, but not like it does with other QBs.

When he is kept clean, he has a rating of 124.4 (best in NFL) with an adjusted completion percentage of 84.1 (second-best in NFL) while tossing 12 touchdowns to two interceptions. Those are all really good numbers. Cousins' great season is getting overlooked because of how great the running game has been for the Vikings.

As for being under pressure, Cousins has a 89.3 QB rating (sixth-best in the NFL) with an adjusted completion percentage of 74.4 (second-best), making him one of the best QBs when pressure is coming. He has been sacked 17 times, which is tied for the ninth-fewest.

Getting pressure on Cousins isn’t going to be enough for the Broncos because of how good he's been under duress. If the Broncos want to rattle him, they'll have to end each play with him on the ground.

Cousins is having the best year of his career with Gary Kubiak involved offensively, and fans can see why the Broncos had such interest in Cousins in the 2018 offseason. Recognizing these weaknesses, the Broncos have some players on both sides of the ball that need to step up in order for Denver to be in on this game.

Brandon Allen, QB: With a bad duo at CB and at LB, but a great safety tandem, the inexperienced QB has to be on the money. If Denver can pound the rock and take pressure off of Allen, great, but that seems unlikely considering how good of a run defense the Vikings have. He will also need to be careful in the pocket. The Vikings have two great pass rushers. Danielle Hunter has a pass-rush productivity of 10.6, which is second in the NFL. Hunter also leads in pressures and hits in the NFL. Meanwhile, Everson Griffen has a PRP of 8.9, tied for 14th in the NFL, No. 3 in the NFL in total pressures, No. 3 in hurries (Von Miller sits between the two Minnesota pass rushers in hurries) and tied No. 3 for total hits.
With how bad the Broncos offensive tackles have been, the Allen is going to have his work cut out for him.

Noah Fant, TE: There is a clear weakness with the Vikings LBs in coverage. This one is really quite simple. Denver has to get Fant matched up with those LBs and exploit them with quick passes to help negate the Vikings pass rushers.

WRs Not-Named Sutton: This one is also really simple. Courtland Sutton is great, but the Broncos haven’t had another receiver emerge since Emmanuel Sanders was traded. Maybe Tim Patrick being healthy and back will provide the boost Denver needs. With how bad the CBs and LBs are, the Broncos need two of their backup receivers to step up. If they can, that will be a big help to Fant and Sutton.

Derek Wolfe, DE: Over the last few weeks, Wolfe has really upped his game as a pass rusher. With how weak the Vikings interior line is, Wolfe should be in a position to have another good game. He is also such a good run defender, and the Broncos need him to help stop Dalvin Cook, the main focus of the Vikings offense.

Von Miller, OLB: The notion that Von Miller has been terrible this year is completely false. He is tied for fifth in PRP, tied seventh in total pressures, and second in hurries. He does need to get home more often and finish plays, but he is getting the pressure, which has helped out the injury-decimated secondary. In this game, Miller has to be able to finish and get Cousins on the ground. That isn’t going to be easy as he is facing a right tackle who is playing at a really high level this year. Brian O’Neil has allowed just 12 total pressures this season, with most of them coming against great pass rushers. This is going to be a battle to watch, but Denver needs Miller to win and to get Cousins on the ground.

Shelby Harris, DE: Similarly to Wolfe, the Broncos have to get more out of Harris both as a pass rusher and as a run defender. A lot is going to fall on these defensive linemen as pass rushers, considering Minnesota's interior weakness. The D-line will also be relied on as run defenders with how good the Vikings are in this department, a Kubiak staple.

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