Vikings-Packers Q&A: Minnesota’s new-look O-line sparks offense

On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers host the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. Ted “Grover” Glover of Daily Norseman kindly volunteered to answer our questions about the Vikings and provide some insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

APC: The Vikings’ offensive line dealt with injuries and poor performers throughout last season, largely contributing to the team’s disappointing finish. Now, with multiple new starters including first-round pick Garrett Bradbury, how has the unit changed and what do you expect from it in 2019?

The tackles from last year remain the same, but the interior line has been revamped. Center Pat Elflein moved to left guard, the Vikings drafted Garrett Bradbury to be their center, and they signed Josh Kline in free agency to be their right guard. They also have a new OL coach in Rick Dennison, and the Vikings have converted to a zone blocking scheme. Against the Falcons on Sunday, the new line looked fantastic when the Vikings were running the ball, but…the issues we saw last year in pass protection looked like they might not have been fixed. Yes, Kirk Cousins only passed the ball 10 times, but he was hit at least three times, and was under duress more than he should have been. The Vikings really need to clean that up this week, or it could be a long afternoon.

We’d like to thank Ted for his time. Be sure to check out the rest of our Q&A session with Daily Norseman over the course of the week as well as our Q&A session over there. As always, keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company this Sunday for our comprehensive game-day coverage of Vikings versus Packers.