Vikings try to avoid disaster as Dolphins look to go 2-0; Dolphins vs. Vikings preview
Sunday’s match up between the Miami Dolphins and the Minnesota Vikings will provide a good idea on where both teams stand. The Vikings came into the season as Super Bowl contenders due to the return of Brett Favre but things have not started smoothly. On
top of battling injury problems, the Vikings are 0-1 after an opening night loss to the New Orleans Saints. With division foes Green Bay and Chicago both at 1-0, the Vikings need a win or they may fall behind a full two games to both teams. The Packers host
the Buffalo Bills while the Bears visit Dallas this week.
The Dolphins are a team under the radar that quietly started their season 1-0 after a win in Buffalo last week. It wasn’t pretty but their 15-10 victory gave them a 1-0 start for the first time in five years. They now sit on top of their division tied with
the New England Patriots. The Patriots play a winless New York Jets squad Sunday, meaning the Dolphins could move into sole possession of first place in the AFC East with a win in Minneapolis. The game kicks off at around 1:00 eastern time from the Metrodome.
This should be a tightly contested contest and the Dolphins showed last week that they’re still a run-first team even with Brandon Marshall. The Dolphins will try to win the same way on the road this weekend and try to control the clock. It will be tough
as the Vikings’ defence is one of the best in the league at stopping the run, especially at home. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams will need plenty of help from their offensive line if they are to have a big game.
Chad Henne will look to improve from his week-one outing. While he wasn’t bad last week, he was nowhere near spectacular. He was productive enough to outscore the Bills’ pedestrian offence but now he’ll have to match a legendary quarterback and face a tough
pass rush. Expect pressure from defensive end Jared Allen and for Pat and Kevin Williams to break the pocket up the middle. Henne will look to Marshall first but he’ll need some help from Brian Hartline and will need help from his tight end Anthony Fasano.
The Minnesota offence will look to test a young Dolphins’ defence that will be without 2010 first-round pick Jared Odrick. The defensive end is out with a hairline fracture in his fibula.
The Vikings' offence is missing their best receiver, Sidney Rice who’s out for eight weeks recovering from hip surgery. Favre will look to the former Dolphin Greg Camarillo who is an excellent possession receiver and will look to have a big day against his
old teammates. Favre will also look to Percy Harvin and his tight end Visanthe Shiancoe who was Favre’s most reliable target last week against the Saints.
One thing the Vikings have to do better is use Adrian Peterson. They have not run the football nearly as much as they should with one of the league’s best backs at their disposal. Favre was clearly out of sync with his receivers last week and the Vikings
cannot afford to be a one-dimensional offence.
One thing that will keep Favre out of sync is pressuring him. The Dolphins will look for another big game by linebacker Karlos Dansby to keep Favre under duress. Miami will also look to Cam Wake and their front line to stop the run and shorten the Vikings’
offensive series.
Many expect Minnesota to bounce back this week and that’s a definite possibility. The Vikings are so much better at home and they have a young quarterback to test out in Henne. Henne will have to deal with the crowd noise inside the dome and that can make
life difficult. The Dolphins have to establish a good running game and control the clock to keep Favre and company off the field. The Vikings meanwhile have to find their rhythm or this underrated Miami team can leave them with a surprising 0-2 start.
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