The Houston Texans game against the Minnesota Vikings for week 3 promises to be a gargantuan matchup of undefeated teams. The Texans would love nothing more to start 3-0 while the rest of the AFC South suffers through a tough early season, but the Vikings may be the best team they face yet. Quarterback Sam Darnold has had a resurgence in Minnesota who also has a stout defense that will be difficult to gameplan for. That said, if the Texans can meet certain objectives, they’ll be 3-0.
Dial Up The Pressure On Sam Darnold
The Texans have one big advantage going into this game: Jordan Addison will likely not play. This leaves Justin Jefferson to worry about, although it’s nearly impossible to cover him. The Texans defense might be better served by trying to pressure Darnold into making bad throws. He did throw a pick versus the 49ers, and the defensive line for the Texans did record seven sacks on Caleb Williams in week 2.
Run The ball
This point remains true regardless of whether or not Joe Mixon plays. Mixon did not practice on Thursday, so it may be safe to assume he won’t suit up for Sunday. Even if that’s the case, though, the Vikings Defense looks more susceptible to the run than the pass. Jordan Mason ran for 100 yards on them in Week 2. Therefore, this might be a big opportunity for Cam Akers.
Look For Tank Dell
Tank Dell has had a quiet first two weeks for the Texans. This matchup might be perfect for him to finally show what he can do. The Vikings have a pair of great corners in Byron Murphy Jr. and Stephon Gilmore. If those two can lock up Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins, Dell should be a great secondary option.
Score Early
Giving the Vikings an early lead could spell trouble for the Texans. If it gets late in the game and the Vikings have a lead to sit on, they can just hand the ball off to Aaron Jones who will move the chains and keep the clock running. Putting Minnesota in an early deficit would force Darnold to win the game instead of Jones, who is still a strong runner.
Keep Aaron Jones Contained
Stopping Jones outright is a tall order for the Texans defense. What is much more reasonable, though, is keeping him from those big 20+ runs. Against San Francisco, Jones’ biggest run was only nine yards, and he was only able to rush for 36 the entire game. If the defense can take away Jones’ big play ability, his performance suffers.
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