The Athletic Answers ‘The Vikings Win If…’ Ahead…

Will the Vikings-Rams game be another nail-biter?

Those are the types of contests Vikings fans have become accustomed to this year, and we’ll see Sunday if the NFC game comes down to the wire.

The Athletic recently rolled out its preview for Sunday’s game, which is scheduled to kick off at noon at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Chad Graff and Arif Hasan each finished the sentence, “The Vikings win if…,” and they had differing opinions. Both, however, were offensive-focused. According to Graff, all eyes will be on Alexander Mattison after Dalvin Cook was added to the team’s Reserve/COVID-19 list. Graff wrote:

… Alexander Mattison can somehow put together a good running game against the Rams. Everything is stacked against him. Mattison has been one of the most inefficient backs in the league. The Rams have been one of the most efficient run-stopping defenses in the league, ranking fifth in EPA/play. It seems unlikely, but if the Vikings can somehow find a way to run on them, they can slow down the game, rest their defense and potentially open up some big plays in the passing game.

Hasan, meanwhile, said the Vikings will win if “they find a way to protect [Kirk] Cousins.

“Throwing against [Jalen] Ramsey is tough,” Hasan noted, “but there are opportunities on that defense if a quarterback has time.”