Indianapolis Colts fans could be forgiven for skipping the scouting report this week. Between the Chris Ballard era ending and a home loss to the previously winless Titans, the Minnesota Vikings have gotten less attention than an unbeaten opponent deserves.
Minnesota allows a league-low 12.8 points per game. It also has an offense ranked 27th in total yards, per Pro Football Reference, and an offensive line with injury issues. Here are three red flags and two reasons for hope heading to Minneapolis.
Red flags for the Colts vs. the Vikings
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Tanor Bortolini and a banged-up interior
Center Tanor Bortolini carries a 41.1 pass-blocking grade this season, per PFF. His Week 6 was worse. He posted a 23.3 pass-blocking grade on 53 snaps against Tennessee, and his fourth-quarter hold created a second-and-20, according to our Week 6 stock report.
Now he gets Brian Flores, whose defense blitzed on 71% of dropbacks early this season. Guard Matt Goncalves (ankle) did not practice Wednesday and tackle Jalen Travis (foot) was limited, per the Week 7 injury report. Daniel Jones has already been sacked 15 times, and Minnesota has 17 sacks as a team.
Cam Taylor-Britt in a bigger role
Sauce Gardner (calf) and Justin Walley (knee) both missed Wednesday’s practice, which pushes more snaps toward Cam Taylor-Britt. He allowed two catches on two targets and drew a 29.0 coverage grade on 24 snaps against Tennessee, per PFF, and his 36-yard pass interference penalty set up the go-ahead field goal.
Minnesota’s pass catchers are getting healthier at the wrong time. Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson were both full participants Wednesday, and Hockenson already has 23 catches for 202 yards. Indianapolis has allowed 10 touchdown passes this season while falling in NFL power rankings every week.
Laiatu Latu’s missing production
Laiatu Latu has one sack and 15 pressures in six games. His 57.5 pass-rush grade ranks 84th among 116 edge defenders, per PFF, on a defense that has 10 sacks as a team. Interior linemen DeForest Buckner and Adetomiwa Adebawore account for six of those, which leaves the edge rushers well behind where a contender’s should be.
Minnesota’s tackles are vulnerable, with Christian Darrisaw returning from a concussion and Brian O’Neill limited by a knee issue. That is the setup a 2024 first-round pick should feast on. If Latu can’t win off the edge, Kyler Murray and his 93 rushing yards get the easy completions and scramble lanes the Vikings want.
Reasons for hope for the Colts vs. the Vikings
Jonathan Taylor and a run game that found room
Indianapolis ran for 165 yards at 5.5 per carry against Tennessee, with Jonathan Taylor gaining 94 on 21 carries after he had addressed his 3.9-yard average that week. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann posted an 86.3 PFF grade in the game, the best on the line.
Minnesota has faced only 108 rushes in five games, and leaning on Taylor keeps Flores’ blitzers reacting. Taylor already has seven rushing touchdowns. “You got to look yourself in the mirror and figure out what type of team that you want to be,” Taylor said after the loss, via Colts.com.
A Vikings offense that has stalled since Week 1
Minnesota scored 39 points against Green Bay and has not topped 23 since. Murray averages 6.6 yards per attempt and has been sacked nine times, and he is the least of the reasons the Vikings are unbeaten. Guard Donovan Jackson is out for the season with a torn meniscus.
That is a chance for DeForest Buckner, whose 19 pressures and 75.3 pass-rush grade from PFF lead the defense. Akeem Davis-Gaither leads the team with 53 tackles. “Every single person on the team needs to be hard critics of themselves,” Buckner said, via Colts.com. Lucas Oil Stadium booed the last effort. A win in Minneapolis is how the defense starts answering for it, and it would ease trade talk around Buckner too.
More on the Minnesota Vikings
- Brian Flores’ Vikings Defense Can Put Daniel Jones in a Bind
- Biggest Colts’ Weaknesses Vikings Need to Exploit in Week 7
- Giants are turning to former Viking J.J. McCarthy to start at quarterback in Week 7 vs. Texans
- Is This a Trap Game for Vikings Against Colts?
