Minnesota Vikings ready for Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes or not
Watch Vikings @ Chiefs live on Sky Sports Action from 5pm Sunday; kick-off is at 6pm
Sunday 3 November 2019 19:02, UK
The absence of Patrick Mahomes will not distract the Minnesota Vikings when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Although the reigning NFL MVP is progressing after suffering a dislocated kneecap in an October 17 victory at Denver, the Chiefs could quite conceivably be looking at starting a backup quarterback again.
Yet Vikings coach Mike Zimmer attempted to dispel any beliefs that Kansas City (5-3) will struggle if its marquee playmaker doesn't return to key an attack that averages 6.6 yards per play (second best in the NFL).
"They do a lot of unorthodox things offensively because they're trying to get big plays downfield,'' Zimmer said. "They're number one in the league in yards per catch.
"... We're going to have to be on our toes, and we're going to have to play good against them and try to eliminate some big plays.''
The Vikings (6-2) are capable as winners of four straight. Their defense limits opponents to 16.5 points and 313.9 yards per game to rank third and fifth, respectively, in those categories. The unit is led by defensive end Danielle Hunter (eight sacks) and linebacker Eric Kendricks (68 tackles).
The Minnesota offense can also milk the clock behind the NFL's leading rusher, Dalvin Cook, who has 823 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns and 1,116 yards from scrimmage, all league highs. He faces a Chiefs defense ranked 30th against the rush (145.0 allowed per game).
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has enjoyed a passer rating of 137.1 during the current win streak and favours productive receiver Stefon Diggs.
Kansas City is looking to avoid a fourth consecutive home defeat in deafening Arrowhead Stadium, which hasn't happened since a skid spanning the 2013-14 seasons.
"We have to do better at home,'' Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "We haven't gotten the wins we need.''
Reid indicated Mahomes will do "a little bit more'' in practice this week without revealing details. He was officially limited on Wednesday, working in as the second quarterback.
Even when wearing sideline gear, Mahomes' presence in a 31-24 loss to Green Bay last week was appreciated.
"This guy's pretty good at running this offense,'' said Matt Moore, the veteran quarterback who performed admirably against the Packers as Mahomes' replacement.
"I was all ears listening to him [on the sideline] because his vision is incredible. I just told him to keep the information coming.''
While knocking off rust after being out of football last season, Moore fully realized the Chiefs "are obviously built around speed." He'll attempt to connect with swift wideouts Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman.
Moore arrived in late August after an ankle injury sidelined backup Chad Henne. Henne has since returned to practice and factors into Kansas City's QB mix.
The Chiefs have other uncertainties with defensive end Frank Clark (neck), left tackle Eric Fisher (groin), cornerback Bashaud Breeland (shoulder), defensive end Alex Okafor (ankle) and offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (ankle) all missing mid-week practice.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones (groin) and cornerback Kendall Fuller (thumb) are questionable and punter Dustin Colquitt (left thigh) has also been limited in practice.
Minnesota standout receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) returned to a limited practice after missing last week's win over Washington.
