|
|
|
Game #2 Preview: Vikings at Rams |
|
|
9/13/98
Quarterback Brad Johnson will lead the Vikings into St.Louis this week after having just about erased any concerns about his arm strength after returning from offseason surgery. Last week, Minnesota absolutely destroyed a very strong Tampa Bay team. Johnson threw for four touchdowns, two each to veteran Chris Carter and rookie Randy Moss, and Robert Smith churned out 5 yards per carry on the ground... chewing up the vaunted Buccaneer defense.
The Rams, on the other hand, are coming off a VERY tough loss against the Saints, in which they dominated the game statistically in almost every category, and yet fumbles and penalties early on cost them the win.
Dick Vermeil considers the Vikings a strong Super Bowl candidate and he calls their offensive line "spectacular, the best I've seen on tape this year." They also have a dominant defensive line that features DT John Randle who led the league in sacks last year, a very good running back in Robert Smith, who can take over a game if he stays healthy, and perhaps the best group of receivers in the league, although Jake Reed has been injured. In short, the Rams will have to play a VERY clean game and not turn the ball over if they hope to have any chance against Minnesota this week.
It's a big game for the Rams, and they should be very eager to prove that they aren't nearly as bad as they looked in the opener against the Saints. The Vikings could be overlooking this one a bit as well and could be ripe for a surprise. Tony Banks will have to build on last week's solid performance at home, and take advantage of the Minnesota's inexperience in the secondary. Cornerback is perhaps their weakest position. Look for Greg Hill to start in the backfield and get some chances to turn the corner, Isaac Bruce to have another huge game, and Eddie Kennison to get a couple of shots deep. Also, I expect to see Ryan McNeil and Grant Wistrom get ALOT more playing time than in the Saints game because the Vikings should show their three wideout nickel package much more than New Orleans did.
Statistical Breakdown: Amidst all of the fear and loathing by Rams fans... perhaps a little statistical breakdown is in order to cut through the subjective tumult. Granted these stats are after just one game, but bear in mind that it was a game in which the Rams played well below expectations and the Vikes had a very good outing. If anything the stats should be stacked in Minnesota's favor. Are they?
Rams' Keys to Victory: I don't think this game is nearly as lopsided as most of you. Bearing that in mind, I don't think the Rams have to do anything extremely radical to come out with a WIN... 1.) Greg Hill needs to get 20-25 carries and around 75 yards for the game. If he gets that many touches, there is a good chance he could break a long one, but it's not really necessary... as long as he averages 3 yards a carry the Rams can take some time off the clock, keep Minnesota's passing offense off the field, and wear down their front 7 for the 4th quarter. If Hill gets 25 carries that means the game will be close throughout (otherwise the Rams would be passing too much for that to happen). If Hill gets 25... we win. 2.) The Rams have to play a CLEAN game. That means minimize the penalties and turnovers, ESPECIALLY the holding penalties on the offensive line. Having watched the tape of the game again, it's incredible how many times the Rams gained good yardage on 1st and 2nd down, only to have it all negated by a fumble or penalty that pushed them back into 3rd and long. The Saints rarely stopped us, we stopped ourselves... the Vikings D is not as good as the Saints. Amp Lee in particular, is a great offensive weapon whose impact is negated by such error prone football. He consistently provides 5 or 6 yards on third downs, but his effectiveness is limited in too many 3rd and long situations. On the Rams opening drive in the second half last Sunday, after Kennison's great punt return, it took them almost 6 Minutes to go 36 yards! They ran a very deliberate offense and moved the ball consistently, but were constatly forced to overcome their own negligence. That's it!!! TWO of 'em! What about our defense you say? What about the Vikings vaunted receiving trio? Ain't I worried about them? Nope. The Rams stack up well against the Vikings offensive firepower IMHO. Like the Vikes, our receivers and the offensive skill positions as a whole are the strength of our team. We have a much better secondary than Minnesota, however, and that should prove to be the difference. The keys to the game will revolve around the Rams offensive line... will they open holes for Hill to get positive yardage on the ground and will they revert to the error prone, continuosly holding performance we saw last week, or will they show the sort of improvement we all expected after a very solid preseason in which they gave up ZERO sacks? Other Key Matchups: Rams CB Ryan McNiel vs Vikings WR Randy Moss - This should be the matchup we see, as LCB Todd Lyght blankets the Vikes #1 WR Cris Carter, and youngster Dexter McCleon tries to handle Jake Reed. McNeil matches up well with Moss due to his size... look for him to teach the rookie some new tricks. Rams MLB Eric Hill vs Vikings RB Robert Smith - Eric played well last week, but whiffed on Lamar Smith on a key 2nd quarter touchdown. He'll have his hands full chasing down speedy Robert, who gained over 5 yards per carry last week against the Bucs. Rams RB Greg Hill vs Vikings Defensive Line - If Greg can turn the corner on a couple of runs to the outside, he could be off to the races against a mediocre Minnesota secondary. He'll have to depend on his offensive line to block much better than they did last week, as Greg lacks the pure power of Jerald Moore. Rams LG Fred Miller vs Vikings DT John Randle - Freddie went through alot of growing pains last week and he'll have to mature very quickly this week in order to keep All Pro John Randle out of the backfield and give Tony time to survey the field. Look for the Rams to run the shotgun alot more often this week as it gives Tony more time in the pocket and it plays to his strengths rolling out and throwing on the run. GAMETIME: Sunday, 9/13/98 12:01 PM CST LOCATION: The Trans World Dome, St. Louis, MO LINE: Vikings by 6.5 Eddie's Prediction: RAMS 31, Vikings 21 GO RAMS!!! Peace, FastEddie
HOME |
||||||