5 Players to Watch: Week 2 Steelers vs. Vikings
Week two is here and this week the 1-0 Steelers will be making their home-field debut against the 1-0 Minnesota Vikings.
Once again I will be spotlighting five particular players that will be key for both teams. Any of these five have the ability to make big plays that can change this game, for better or worse.
Here are five to players to watch…
Alejandro Villanueva
While not a sexy name that you’ll hear a lot, Everson Griffin is a key player on the Vikings defense. This week the defensive end will be matched up with Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva. While certainly talented, Villanueva is the weakest cog in the Steelers offensive line (which is hardly an insult).
I’m not trying to imply Villanueva will be a liability, I’m just spotlighting his difficult match-up this week. It’s the Vikings arguably best defensive lineman going against the Steelers arguably worst offensive lineman.
Griffin finished week one not only with a sack, but Pro Football Focus graded him with the second highest run stop percentage among edge defenders. He’s also had sack totals 8, 10.5, and 12 over the past three years. Villanueva will be a key player this week for opening up holes in the run game and keeping Ben Roethlisberger safe.
Javon Hargrave
Of the Steelers 2016 draft class, Javon Hargrave may be the best player the Steelers drafted. The defensive tackle played great versus the Browns as both a run stuffer and pass rusher. He even got his first sack of the year on a bull-rush that made JC Tretter look like he was on skates.
Why Hargrave is important for this week is because Stephon Tuitt may be out for the game. While Tyson Alualu is the primary backup at defensive end, Hargrave will be called on frequently to play on defense. As mentioned before, Hargrave demonstrated his ability to excel against both the run and the pass and the team will need him to bring that again.
Dalvin Cook
While Isaiah Crowell of the Browns is a solid running back, Dalvin Cook of the Vikings is much better. The rookie running back put on a show in his NFL debut, accumulating 137 yards from scrimmage.
One issue that plagued the Steelers versus the Browns, and has been a trend with the team in recent years, is missed tackles.
With Cook being a better back than Crowell, he is much more prone to make defenders miss. In order to neutralize Cook, the defense will need to be disciplined with their tackling. One miss can lead to a big play, and that is something the team cannot afford against a team of the Vikings caliber.
Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford, the proclaimed “game manager” and “average” quarterback, started off the season real hot, just look at these stats…
158.3 passer rating under pressure
158.3 deep ball passer rating
What is the relevance of these two stats? Those are both areas Deshone Kizer of the Browns struggled with against the Steelers.
Bradford won’t make as many mistakes as Kizer did. Many of the Steelers seven sacks came from Kizer holding onto the ball too long, according to these numbers Bradford will not fold under the pressure similarly. The Steelers were also fortunate that Kizer missed a few deep throws when guys were open, again, Bradford won’t make that mistake.
I’m not trying to hype up Sam freaking Bradford like he’s Tom Brady, but he is an experienced veteran quarterback and the Steelers cannot rely on him making rookie mistakes like they saw versus the Browns.
Kyle Rudolph
Tight end Kyle Rudolph had a modest game versus the Saints in week one, but there is no doubting his ability.
While not on the same level as guys like Rob Gronkowski or Travis Kelce, Rudolph is still a talented tight end. While the Steelers have found ways to neutralize tight ends before, they’ve also had their fair share of struggles against athletic tight ends.
Rudolph has the ability to stretch the field and is an excellent red zone target, making him a player that could exploit this defense if they’re not careful.
