Packers: 3 Matchups to watch vs Vikings in Week 8
By Kenny Jilek
Kamal Martin vs. Vikings Run Game
Kamal Martin had a very solid debut last week and building on he’ll need to continue to build on that this week because Dalvin Cook and the Vikings run-first philosophy are coming to town. Cook was somewhat contained in week one as he only rushed for 50 yards, but scored two touchdowns and had a season-low 12 carries because the Vikings had to pass out of necessity being down in the second half.
Hopefully, the Packers can follow the same formula, get an early lead, and force the Vikings to pass. However, getting that early lead means they need the ball and they’ll have to keep the Vikings from having long time-sucking drives where they give the ball to Cook and let him do his thing. Martin will play a big role in making sure that doesn’t happen.
He played 29 snaps, 42.6 percent of all Green Bay Packers’ defensive snaps, in his debut and will possibly play even more this week. He will likely be subbed out on passing downs for more speed, but he should be in on many early downs and short-yardage situations. He made six tackles and one for a loss and looked great as a run stuffer, a skill he showed in college at Minnesota.
Dalvin Cook is not a big threat in the passing game, which is why this matchup isn’t Martin vs. Cook. He’s only made 12 catches this season for 64 yards, just 5.3 yards per reception. Martin may see snaps where he’ll be assigned to Cook in the passing game, but it won’t be a frequent or significant occurrence.
The name of the game for the Packers’ defense this week is to stop Dalvin Cook from being able to carry the ball 20-plus times and control the tempo of the game. Even a big tackle on first down to make it second-and-long is huge because it gets the Vikings off their schedule and script. Krys Barnes and Raven Greene have also been solid in the middle and will play a big role in this, but Martin is the exciting newcomer and has the most playmaking and star potential of the group. A tackle for a loss and a couple of stops for short gains would be a big win for the Packers in this matchup.