Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Minnesota Vikings: Keep Your Enemies Close - 5 Questions with The Viking Age

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:11 p.m. ET

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Nov 6, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings fan Parker Baer from Des Moines, Iowa holds a political sign in support of Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer (not pictured) in the concourse of U.S. Bank Stadium before the game against the Detroit Lions. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars are spiraling into oblivion amidst a long losing streak, so we decided to lighten things and discuss the Minnesota Vikings with The Viking Age.

It’s that time of the week once again, as we turn our focus to the upcoming matchup and whether or not the Jacksonville Jaguars can put up a good fight against their opponent.

Probably not.

Still, we feel obliged to discuss the game and part of that is reaching out to our fellow analysts. With the Minnesota Vikings coming to town on Sunday, there are plenty of intriguing storylines to get into.

We wanted to get some intel on our opponent so we reached out to Adam Carlson over at The Viking Age. Here’s what he had to say:

1. The Vikings have had a roller coaster season after a tragic injury to Teddy Bridgewater, a hot start with Sam Bradford, and struggles in recent weeks. What would constitute a “successful” year for the Vikings with everything taken into account?

The rule for a team with the kind of talent the Vikings has is Super Bowl or bust. Sadly, injuries have kept Minnesota from achieving the kind of success expected of them this year. All things considered, it’s amazing how this team is still in the hunt considering everything that has happened to this point. Personally, a winning record should be considered a success, but most will likely see that benchmark as another playoff appearance.

My take:

If you had told me before the season that the Vikings would be without Teddy Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson for effectively the entire year, I would have assumed they’d be firmly out of the playoff race. It’s a testament to Mike Zimmer and his defense that the Vikings have remained relevant for this long. I think the season is already a success.

Sep 18, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) is injured during the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Packers 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

2. The defense seemed to carry the Vikings for most of the season – has the offense really been holding the team back that much, and can most of it be attributed to the absence of Adrian Peterson?

The answer to all these questions is the offensive line. Going through 4 starting offensive tackles since training camp and having players on the interior of the line miss games has been devastating to both pass protection and run blocking. No matter who was behind that line, they would struggle to gain yardage and any quarterback would struggle to find a way to get rid of the football fast enough. While Adrian can be a game changer at times, even he looked pedestrian behind this line in week 1.

My take:

Even when the Vikings were undefeated over the first 5 weeks, they struggled on offense. The defense created opportunities and the special teams also made some plays. Adam is right – the root of the problems on offense is the offensive line play. Bradford is being forced into the same hole that hampered his career in St. Louis – he has to get rid of the ball within a second or two to avoid getting hammered in the pocket. The Jaguars should be able to exploit this with some timely blitzes and a good game by Yannick Ngakoue.

Dec 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (8) passes under the pressure of Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman David Irving (95) in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Cowboys win 17-15. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

3. Moving forward, has Sam Bradford’s play made the quarterback situation more complicated when Bridgewater gets healthy?

The politically correct answer here is no. It is great to have two talented quarterbacks available if Minnesota picks up Bradford’s hefty price tag next season. The actual answer is yes…and in a big way. Bridgewater has the heart of many fans and has shown to be an accurate quarterback. Considering Teddy may not be available for next season with the severity of his injury, it’s best to have Bradford penciled in as the starter in 2017.

My take:

This question is really pointless until we get into the thick of the offseason and get a prognosis/timeline on Bridgewater’s recovery. I was one of the folks who genuinely laughed at the Vikings “wasting” a high draft pick on Sam Bradford, but he’s looked very good at times. As discussed in the previous question, he’s struggled with awful offensive line play.

I absolutely loved Teddy coming out of college (I wanted the Jaguars to select him third overall) and think he can still be a good starting quarterback, but he’s a complete unknown at this point. He could come back and be a good quarterback in a few years, but it’s not practical to count on him in 2017.

Dec 4, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Kelvin Beachum (68) protects the line during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

4. If you could take one player from the Jaguars to put on the Vikings, who would you choose?

This is an easy one. It’s Kelvin Beachum. At 27 years old, he can be a solid left tackle for many, many years. Minnesota has capable players at every other position in the game, but T.J. Clemmings is an absolute disaster for Minnesota and there is no short or long-term answer on the roster. Getting him would fill a massive need. Sure, a guy like Allen Robinson would be the flashy choice, but the Vikings need to win in the trenches in order to even know what they have in their wide receivers.

My take:

The Jaguars don’t have many good offensive lineman, but Adam went with one of the two that are playing well. Brandon Linder at center is the best lineman by a wide margin, but Beachum has been a net positive this season. You can still see him shaking off some of the rust and uneasiness that should be expected post-ACL repair, but he’s been a solid pass blocker. Having seen Clemmings in a few games this year, I understand Adam here. I also think Beachum is a better choice than Robinson as well – Robinson needs time to run/develop his routes and the Vikings offense can’t accommodate that.

Dec 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings get ready to enter the stadium against the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

5. What’s your prediction for the game?

I think the Vikings get a win here, but it will be closer than people expect. Bortles will connect on some deep passes and the Minnesota offense will move the ball much better this week. Minnesota’s playoff hopes stay alive thanks to a 23-17 Vikings win.

My take:

Almost everyone we talk to on a weekly basis is delicate with us here or tentative – they usually predict a “close” win. Granted the Jaguars haven’t been blown out since the Titans game, but the Jaguars are not a threat to any team remaining on the schedule. Adam is also quite optimistic in saying Bortles will connect on some deep passes. Blake has been awful with deep throws this year and the Vikings defense is not the team to test in that regard.

Are the Jaguars going to show up and put up a decent fight on Sunday? Check out my Friday Fact or Fiction column tomorrow to find out.

Check out my answers to Adam’s questions over at The Viking Age.