Anthony Barr #55 of the Minnesota Vikings hits quarterback Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter of the game on October 15, 2017 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS - Mike Zimmer didn’t hesitate much on Wednesday when asked about his thoughts on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“It’s hard for him to be any better than what he is,” Zimmer said. “Some of the plays he makes take your breath away. It’s kind of like watching Barry Sanders run the football.”
One of the most unusual Vikings’ seasons in franchise history starts Sunday, hosting a division rival in a key early game. Zimmer won’t have his 12th man, 60,000+ screaming fans in Vikings jerseys, to help him disrupt Rodgers and the Packers’ offense when they take the field.
To compound matters, the Vikings will also be without star defensive end Danielle Hunter. Placed on injured reserve Wednesday with an unspecified injury, Hunter is out for three weeks and won’t be eligible to return until Week 4 at the Houston Texans. He had 14.5 sacks last season.
They also won’t have nose tackle Michael Pierce, who opted out of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic due to having asthma. The starting defensive line will look like some combination of newly-acquired Yannick Ngakoue at defensive end, Shamar Stephen and Jaleel Johnson at defensive tackle and Ifeadi Odenigbo at the other defensive end. Jalyn Holmes, Armon Watts and Hercules Mata’afa could also rotate in.
The middle of the defense is set with Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Eric Wilson in spots. The secondary remains one of the big questions coming into the season. Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith are the veterans at safety, but there’s not a defensive back on the roster who is older than 23. The starting duties will go to Mike Hughes and Holton Hill, with rookies Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler making their debuts against Rodgers, a future hall of famer.
Co-defensive coordinator Adam Zimmer said Thursday he’s excited to see his young defensive backs challenge Rodgers, who will likely target the rookies early and often.
“It’s going to be a real challenge against arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, but I think they won’t be afraid. They’ll step in there and go cover,” Zimmer said.
The key, as it always is with defending Rodgers, is to avoid letting him extend plays. The longer he roams and has time to find a receiver, the more likely he is to make a big play.
“He’s always been the kind of guy who scrambles, who gets out of the pocket, creates things with his legs,” said Kendricks, Minnesota’s leading tackler last season. “We know what we’re going to get from him, he’s going to throw the ball well out of the pocket and he’s going to create plays.”
It’s the job of Co-defensive coordinators Andre Patterson and Adam Zimmer to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“When he gets out of the pocket and he ends up having the ability to extend a play, he has the ability to make unbelievable throws down the field,” Patterson said.
The Vikings’ defense has largely done well defending Rogers since Mike Zimmer took over in 2014. In 11 starts, he’s thrown for more than 300 yards just once, in 2016. The Vikings have also sacked him 33 times.
Since 2014, Rodgers has 17 touchdowns, three interceptions and is 6-4-1 as a starter against Minnesota. Whenever Rodgers is on the field, the Packers chances to win a game get better.
“He’s still Aaron Rodgers. He’s still making outrageous throws and creating. He’s always one of the toughest match-ups,” Smith said.
So what is Smith’s advice to the rookies in the secondary?
“Every play seems to last a little longer when you play Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. So you can’t relax when you think a play is over,” Smith said.
Keep him in the pocket, never think a play is over and hope he’s a little rusty in his first game against an opponent. They Vikings know they have a tall task on Sunday, but they’re not going to shy away from it.