Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE
The Minnesota Vikings will go on the road in Week 2 to take on the Indianapolis Colts and 2012 #1 overall pick Andrew Luck. Minnesota will look to build upon what is safe to say was an uneven performance even in victory in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Colts will be looking for their first win of the season after losing to another NFC North squad in the Chicago Bears last week.
Here are five Vikings’ players worth watching in Week 2, as their collective performance will be a big key to the Vikings starting the season 2-0 on Sunday.
1. RB Adrian Peterson
Peterson defied the medical odds coming off his torn left ACL and looked very good against the Jaguars, with 17 carries for 84 yards and two touchdowns along with one reception for three yards. He looks likely to be able to handle a full workload or close to it at this point, but the team will certainly be cautious with him on a weekly basis to make sure he has no lingering soreness in the knee or overall fatigue. It will be interesting to see how Peterson follows up his impressive Week 1 on Sunday, and his mere presence seems to give the Vikings a psychological boost.
2. LT Matt Kalil
Kalil made an impact on special teams in his first NFL game by blocking an extra point, and was fairly effective as a pass blocker as well. He will get a significant challenge in Week 2 from the Colts’ outside pass rushing duo of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, thought Freeney’s status for Sunday is up in the air after leaving last Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Keeping quarterback Christian Ponder’s blindside protected will be key every game, but this week brings the first significant test of Kalil’s young career.
3. QB Christian Ponder
Ponder shook off a slow start against the Jaguars to finish will solid numbers in Week 1, as he went 20-for-27 for 270 yards without a touchdown or an interception. He and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave will certainly be looking for a faster start against Indianapolis, and getting wide receiver Percy Harvin involved sooner looks to be a big key to making that happen. Kalil’s ability to keep Freeney at bay will be a huge thing for Ponder, as he sometimes struggles moving around effectively in the pocket. Luck will get more attention on Sunday, but Ponder may be the quarterback in the game whose performance will dictate his team’s success the most.
4. CB Chris Cook
If not for the Vikings winning last week’s game in overtime, Cook may have drawn much more derision for his failure in deep coverage that allowed Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts III to score a late touchdown to give the Jaguars the lead. But all things considered Cook performed solidly in his first regular season game since last October, recording a sack and three pass breakups. This Sunday will be a bigger challenge as he is likely to shadow Colts’ wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who was the primary target for Luck last week against Chicago with nine catches for 135 yards on 18 targets. If Cook can lock down Wayne or at least limit his effectiveness, the Colts’ passing game may be hampered significantly with little in terms of proven players outside of Wayne and the status of wide receiver Austin Collie (concussion) up in the air at best.
5. TE Kyle Rudolph
Rudolph had five receptions for 67 yards against Jacksonville last week, and was also targeted seven times (second-most on the team) in the game. His strength appears to be as a pass catcher, but he may be asked to help in pass blocking this week if Kalil or right tackle Phil Loadholt struggle to contain Freeney and Mathis. Fellow tight end John Carlson may be able to take on a greater role as he is one more week removed from a preseason knee injury, which would free up Rudolph to be a primary option in the passing game. That may be where Rudolph will be most valuable against a potentially prolific Indianapolis pass rush, as a safety valve in key situations for Ponder.
