When: Noon Sunday, U.S. Bank Stadium
TV (radio): Ch. 4 (100.3-FM)
Line: Browns by 2
Vikings vs. Browns: Three story lines, two key matchups and one prediction
There aren't many secrets between the teams as the Vikings face their former offensive coordinator and other familiar faces.
October 1, 2021 at 11:20PM
The number of personal connections in this matchup mean there won't be many secrets between these teams. It will come down to which team executes better, and right now, the Vikings have a quarterbacking advantage with Kirk Cousins playing the way he has. If he has another strong day against Kevin Stefanski, his former position coach and offensive coordinator, the Vikings will get back to 2-2 at home.
THREE STORY LINES
Stefanski's back in Minnesota
Kevin Stefanski spent 14 seasons on the Vikings' coaching staff before the Browns made him their new head coach last year. He won NFL Coach of the Year honors in his first season in Cleveland, and brings a team to Minnesota that would be 3-0 if not for a blown Week 1 lead against Kansas City. The Vikings have taken great pains all week to downplay the Stefanski story line, but if they're going to avoid falling to 1-3, they'll have to beat their former offensive coordinator.
Cousins tries to stay hot; Browns try to heat him up
Kirk Cousins has thrown eight touchdown passes without an interception in the first three weeks of the season, and put together one of his best games in Minnesota on the way to the Vikings' first win last week. He'll face a Browns defense that posted nine sacks against an overwhelmed Bears line last week. Cousins has been sacked only once in each of the Vikings' previous two games; Dalvin Cook called him the best QB in the league with a clean pocket this week.
Containing Browns' running game a tall order
Cleveland uses a similar scheme to what Stefanski implemented in Minnesota, but with offensive line coach Bill Callahan directing a group that produced two Pro Bowlers last year, the Browns added a physical element to a running game that ranked third in the league last year and is second this year. Two starters (J.C. Tretter and Jedrick Willis) are questionable with injuries, but Vikings nose tackle Michael Pierce is also questionable with an elbow and shoulder injury that occurred in Thursday's practice. If the Browns' line is intact, containing Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt will be a challenge for the Vikings' run front.
TWO KEY MATCHUPS
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer vs. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski
Zimmer gave Stefanski his first play-calling job, a year after he blocked him from joining Pat Shurmur with the Giants. Had the Vikings moved on from Zimmer at the end of the 2019 season, Stefanski — who'd been in the organization for 14 seasons — was the early front-runner to get the job. Efforts to downplay the matchup notwithstanding, you can bet this one means a little more to Zimmer, as his team tries to get back to .500 at home against his former coordinator.
Vikings LT Rashod Hill vs. Browns DE Myles Garrett
Garrett, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft and an All-Pro last year, had 4.5 sacks last week. He brings a potent combination of speed and strength against Hill, who'll start for the fourth consecutive week with Christian Darrisaw still trying to return from groin surgery. The Vikings will likely send some help Hill's way, but with Jadeveon Clowney on the other side, they'll need him to control Garrett like he did with Arizona's Chandler Jones after a five-sack game.
ONE STAT THAT MATTERS
53.4: Percentage of the time the Browns run the ball, which is the second-highest rate in the league, according to Sharp Football Stats. The Vikings, who ran more than all but five teams in the league last year, are 19th this season.
THE VIKINGS WILL WIN IF …
Cousins continues to play as well as he has in the first three weeks of the season; the Vikings can deal with the Browns' pass rush; and their defense holds up against the combination of Cleveland's running game and Baker Mayfield's bootlegs.
THE BROWNS WILL WIN IF …
They win the battles along both lines of scrimmage, running the ball consistently against the Vikings while pressuring Cousins into the kinds of mistakes he hasn't made so far this season; and they can guide Mayfield to an efficient day against a Vikings defense that will try to take advantage of his freewheeling nature by forcing him into turnovers.
Prediction: Vikings 30, Browns 28
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
