World’s Best Preview: The X-Factor

X-factor: Led by cornerback Xavier Rhodes, the Vikings scored an overwhelming victory against Atlanta receiver Julio Jones in Week 1. Jones was targeted 11 times but caught only six passes for 31 yards.

“We just kind of do what we normally do, play different coverages, try to confuse the quarterback the best we can, and players played pretty good,” Zimmer said in downplaying the performance.

That’s noteworthy because the Vikings obviously would like to accomplish the same thing against Green Bay’s Davante Adams. Adams had a quiet Week 1, as well, with four receptions in eight targets for 36 yards. In nine career games against Minnesota, Adams has caught 34-of-62 passes (54.8 percent) for 368 yards and five touchdowns. He’s scored in each of the last four matchups.

“They do pretty much the same thing and I’ve produced before,” Adams said of the Vikings’ performance vs. Jones. “It’s a different offense so it’s different plays, but I don’t see it being too big of a factor. I think we’ve just got to get things called, get the ball out and make the play. I’ve got to make the play when the ball’s thrown because it’s going to come. There’s going to be times when there’s two or three guys on me and the ball’s going to be on the way still. I’ve just got to make those plays.”

Turnovers: Minnesota (plus-3) and Green Bay (plus-1) won their opening games while winning the turnover battle. The teams that came out on the right side of the turnover ledger in Week 1 went 10-2-1.

“It’s just high-percentage passes,” Rodgers said of his philosophy. “You’re trying to find in the progression what guys give you the best chance of a completion and the lowest chance of a negative play. This is the way I’ve played and we’ve played here for a long time. We take care of the football. Then obviously we’re going to look to be more aggressive, put the ball in some tough spots to help our line out a little bit. But I’m not going to change. We’re going to keep taking care of the football. Like I said after the game, we have a little different defense this year, which is nice.”

Bigger challenge: The defense is the toast of Green Bay after its 10-3 demolition of Chicago. This will be a big step up in competition, though. Cousins is a better quarterback than Mitchell Trubisky. Dalvin Cook is a better running back than Tarik Cohen. Thielen and Stefon Diggs are better receivers than Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel.

The Bears showed little interest in running the ball. The Vikings, however, can move the ball via the run and pass.

“That’s the issue that you have, is you make a call to stop the run, and now you’re potentially exposed on the back end,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. “Or, we’re going to play some split safety and roll coverage toward receivers, and now you’re a little bit light up front. So, that’s all part of the chess match. That’s why they were so productive against Atlanta. It’s hard to take away that one thing.

“I think it starts with Cook. That is critical to do a good job of not letting him get to the perimeter. As you saw what happened in the Atlanta game, he can just circle the defense. You can’t just give him free access on downhill, inside gaps, because some of his big runs in the preseason were a result of that as well. So we’ve talked all week we have to play with great run fundamentals up front to start. That’s just stuff that we preach from Day 1: don’t get knocked back, locating the ball, separating, getting off of blocks. We’re all going to get blocked, it’s just we have to have that sense, that feeling, that I’m not going to stay blocked. I think that’s real important for our guys to go into the game with that mentality.”

Young guns: In the NFL’s annual analysis of Week 1 roster, the Packers and Vikings field the league’s fifth-youngest teams with an average age of 25.58 years.

More World’s Best Preview

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A referendum on the preseason?

History lessons

Stats are for losers

The X-factor