Vikings vs. Buccaneers Preview: 3 Keys to Victory For Minnesota
The Vikings have a winnable season opener to kick off year two of the Kevin O'Connell era; they're currently 5.5-point favorites heading into Sunday's home game against Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Still, this is a Tampa Bay team with plenty of star power on both sides of the ball.
Here are three things the Vikings must do in order to start the 2023 campaign with a victory.
Send the house at Baker Mayfield
With Tom Brady retiring for good — I think — after last season, the Buccaneers have found themselves in quarterback purgatory. Enter former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, who spent last year with the Panthers and Rams and is one of the worst starting QBs in the league as this season begins.
On Sunday, the Vikings will unveil their brand-new Brian Flores defense, which promises to be ultra-aggressive. Rest assured, Flores will be sending all kinds of exotic pressure looks at Mayfield in an effort to bring him to the ground and force him into rushed decisions.
It's crucial that the Vikings get after Mayfield and find ways to get all the way home, because if he has time in the pocket, he still theoretically has the arm talent to exploit the Vikings' unproven cornerback group. In Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Buccaneers have a pair of star receivers who should be able to get open against Akayleb Evans and Mekhi Blackmon. Byron Murphy Jr. can't be everywhere.
It's time for Flores and this defense to let loose everything they've been preparing for this offseason and send the house at Mayfield.
Give Garrett Bradbury help
When the Vikings have the ball, the Tampa Bay player with the best chance to really wreck the game is nose tackle Vita Vea, a former Pro Bowler who had 6.5 sacks last year. Minnesota's interior offensive line is the offense's biggest concern heading into this season.
Vikings center Garrett Bradbury took a much-needed step forward last season in a contract year, which resulted in him being brought back on a three-year deal. But for everything he does well as a run blocker and as the QB of the offensive line, his ability to anchor against powerful defensive tackles like Vea remains a weakness. The Vikings need to give Bradbury plenty of help against Vea instead of leaving him on an island in pass protection.
That'll be easier if Tampa Bay rookie Calijah Kancey doesn't play; the first-round pick seems likely to end up with a questionable designation on Friday.
The Vikings' approach in this game will be to try to get an efficient running game going and hit explosive pass plays out of similar looks. For that to work effectively, they have to mitigate Vea's impact on the game.
Start fast and add on
The atmosphere inside U.S. Bank Stadium should be electric on Sunday. The Vikings are kicking off a season in which they'll look to defend their NFC North title despite low national expectations. They'll be debuting their classic throwback uniforms and honoring legendary coach Bud Grant. This is a fan base that's excited to see what kind of impact newcomers like Flores, Murphy, and Jordan Addison can make. They're going to bring the noise.
If the Vikings can get out to an early lead behind one of O'Connell's excellent opening scripts and then build on that lead, they'll have a real chance to pull away and prevent this game from coming down to the final seconds. Making Tampa Bay one-dimensional sounds like a recipe for some Mayfield mistakes.
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