Green Bay Packers: 5 Burning Questions about the Vikings
By Paul Bretl
Who is a player on offense and defense that Packer fans may not know as well but could make a difference in the game?
By now, many of the stars on the Vikings roster have established themselves as household names to many fans as well as those who watch the NFC North each week. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few guys who might not get recognized right away.
On offense, Dalvin Cook might get the bulk of the carries for Minnesota but rookie backup Alexander Mattison showed some good potential in Week 1 and has quite the resume from his college days at Boise State. While he doesn’t have the breakaway speed that Cook possesses, Mattison has some great acceleration and balance to get those tough yards when asked.
Defensively, Anthony Harris is coming off a massive game which saw him recover a fumble and intercept two passes. This is his first year as a starter, as he took the place of the departing Andrew Sendejo at safety. He doesn’t throw his body around as much as Sendejo used to, but his coverage skills look greatly improved from last year.
Takeaway: These will likely be two important players for this Vikings team. Perhaps the biggest key to victory for the Green Bay Packers will be slowing down the Minnesota running attack and that includes Mattison who saw some carries in week one.
Additionally, the Vikings will likely deploy similar tactics to slow down Davante Adams as they did last week with Julio Jones. This will include a safety providing help over the top on just about every snap, and that safety could very well be Anthony Harris.