3 Questions Facing Vikings in Matchup with Browns

The Cleveland Browns go on the road to face off against the Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off a victory against the Seattle Seahawks after dropping their first two games.

Entering week four, teams are starting to form with trends emerging. The Vikings certainly have their share of strengths, including Danielle Hunter, Harrison Smith and their wide receivers, plus Kirk Cousins is playing well.

They also have their share of weaknesses and given the strengths of the Browns, those are the questions they are going to have to answer this week as they hope to earn back to back wins and put themselves firmly back into the NFC North race.

1. How do the Vikings cover Odell Beckham?

With Beckham back, his impact on the game is significant. He was able to record five receptions and 77 yards in his season debut, which is a relatively pedestrian performance given what he's capable. However, what he does to opposing defenses is far more than just his production.

The spacing was excellent across the field. Unfortunately, the Browns, specifically Baker Mayfield, was unable to take advantage of all the wide open shots he had, but the Browns were already creating better spacing and Beckham improved it.

The Vikings have Patrick Peterson, who through three weeks, has not exactly looked the part of a 4x All-Pro. Presumably, he's the best player for the job to cover Beckham. However, they may not be willing to allow him to do it alone. Perhaps, they have to bump out a safety to at least be in position to provide some help if need be over the top.

The Bears have an excellent young corner in Jaylon Johnson and the the Browns were still able to find success.

Worse for the Vikings, whatever they do with Peterson, the rest of their corners have struggled. Bashaud Breeland and Mackenzie Alexander have not played well through three games.

If there's a saving grace for the Vikings, it might be the fact they have played two of the most prolific offenses thus far in the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. So perhaps they are going to bounce back after enduring a difficult slate of teams. Either that or the Browns are just one more team that can put a ton of pressure on them.

The strength of the Vikings defense is in the middle. They have productive linebackers and their safeties are effective. Whether it's Beckham or receivers like Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, Anthony Schwartz or Demetric Felton, the Browns may be able to create mismatches, particularly on the sideline.

2, Can Rashod Hill Protect Kirk Cousins?

The Vikings offensive line is not great. The strength is the right side anchored by Brian O'Neil and then right guard Oli Udoh is playing reasonably well. From center to left tackle is mediocre at best and Rashod Hill, their left tackle is the worst.

Kirk Cousins has been sacked five times this season and three of those came against the Cincinnati Bengals. So there are opportunities to put Cousins on the ground, but he's not looking to hold onto the ball any longer than necessary.

Seemingly, the Browns are going to park Garrett across from Hill for as long as he wants to be there. They can also kick Garrett inside and put Takkarist McKinley on the edge against Hill when the down and distance call for it.

As was the case against the Chicago Bears, the secondary is going to have to work in tandem with the front. The Vikings have good receivers in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. K.J. Osborn has been productive as well. If the secondary can cover them long enough to force Cousins to hesitate, then Garrett could once again feast on the quarterback, potentially causing a turnover.

3. Can Vikings defense stop a spread out Browns offense?

The best situation for the Vikings defense is for the Browns to shrink the field, attach their tight ends in the game and try to run it down their throat. That enables them to put Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson, who are basically both nose tackles, to clog up the middle. Their linebackers and safeties are better than their corners.

The Browns still might be able to find success, but the more ground the Vikings have to cover, the greater the disadvantage.

The Browns don't need to go five wide to accomplish this, though they could. They can put David Njoku, Kareem Hunt, even Nick Chubb in space if they want. But if the Browns come out in wider formations and throw the ball, the Vikings may be forced to put former Browns defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson along with Everson Griffen to improve their pass rush in the middle to try to pressure Baker Mayfield.

At that point, the Browns can run right at them. The other benefit is the fact that the more corners the Vikings are forced to play, the worse their defense gets. Whether they want to use their size in tight ends widened out, Hunt or Donovan Peoples-Jones, they can potentially overpower their defensive backs. They also have the option of deploying Anthony Schwartz and Demetric Felton to give them a ton of speed.