The Minnesota Vikings head to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. Which team should you wager on to make the right NFL pick?
Friday, August 27, 2021 – 08:00 PM EDT at Arrowhead Stadium
The Minnesota Vikings training camp has not gone according to plan. Quarterback Kirk Cousins refusal to take the vaccination has irked coach Mike Zimmer and the locker room seems divided. Cousins had come under immense criticism of his leadership on this issue. As we know, unvaccinated players face much larger scrutiny during the season and are at much greater risk of missing games due to Covid protocol violations. This friction between coach and quarterback can explain some of the dysfunction going on within the offense so far this training camp
Cousins does not look good but there is no quarterback controversy because his backups have looked even worse! To be fair to Cousins he is missing his top receivers and he has never been a player who can "will" an average team to victory. Cousins has always required weapons around him, so with WR Justin Jefferson sitting out and WR Adam Thielen not playing his best, the offense has sputtered. With everything going on this would be an ample opportunity for a backup quarterback to seize the moment and push for the starting job. Yet neither Kellen Mond nor Jake Browning has been up to the task.
QB Jake Browning is out of the University of Washington but concerns with his work ethic caused the highly touted prospect to fall on draft boards. Browning has done a little to change the perception of himself around the league and while he supposedly looks fantastic in practices, his 2 preseason performances have been underwhelming. Another bad performance could put Browning on the hot seat although it is unlikely that the Vikings would go with 2 quarterbacks to start this season. If Browning continues to play poorly, however, the Vikings will look to sign a veteran backup and jettison this failed project.
QB Kellen Mond was a draft pick this year so he has much more leeway as far as making the team but he has not made an impression. Like the other Vikings quarterbacks, Mond has struggled and his offensive line has done him no favors by not giving him much time to get through his progressions. Mond and Browning both need a good performance to have something positive from this training camp/preseason.
The Vikings defense is much improved after the return of key contributors who sat out last season. Defensive Lineman Danielle Hunter is back and the defensive line has looked impressive, often getting the best of the offensive line. The Vikings added Cornerback PatrickPeterson and he has played well. Although the Vikings offense seems fractured and inefficient, the defense has definitely improved to the type of defense that we can expect from defensive mastermind Head Coach Mike Zimmer.
The Kansas City Chiefs still play their starters in a preseason trend that seems to be diminishing. Chiefs fans let out a sigh of relief as Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was unharmed while he scrambled around the field trying to pick up 1st downs. Mahomes will get some action in this preseason Week 3 matchup but will be out at halftime, replaced by QB Chad Henne.
A bright spot for the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp has been the play of Right Tackle Lucas Niang. Mike Remmers was originally brought in to fill the Right Tackle spot but Niang, coming off an opt-out season, has impressed in camp and looks to be winning the Right Tackle job. This is great news for the Chiefs. Now they can use the experienced Remmers as a floating Tackle. He has the ability to fill in at either Left or Right Tackle in case of injury. Those watching the Super Bowl saw how the Offensive Line let them down and their attempt to retool looks quite successful.
Defensive End Mike Danna started in place of the injured Frank Clark and was able to get several pressures on the quarterback. In a league where rule changes have made it increasingly tough to cover in the secondary, pass rushers are now key to stopping a passing offense. If Danna is able to become another solid pass rusher in addition to Clark, the Chiefs defense could take another step. Look for Danna to make plays early and often. If he’s making plays, this could be trouble for the Vikings and their beleaguered offensive line.
How will the Vikings offensive line hold up? Line play is a serious issue and for a defensive, run-oriented, ball-control team you need a strong offensive line. A first-round and third-round draft pick were meant to address this but with 1st round pick Christian Darrisaw still out with injury, the Vikings have some of the same problems that we saw last season. If the Chiefs are able to beat the Vikings at the line, it could be another sputtering day for the Vikings offense.
The Vikings are not a team on the same page right now. Although they are loaded at the skill positions, the line is not giving the QBs time to make plays. While the Vikings should be more motivated to put on a good performance, the Chiefs have much more talent on both sides of the ball. Chad Henne will be stronger than Browning or Mond in the 2nd half and the Chiefs will win the battle at the line of scrimmage. Take the Chiefs and do your best bet on the NFL odds.
NFL Pick: Kansas City Chiefs -4 (-108) with BookMaker (visit our BookMaker Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.