Minnesota Vikings Are Building a Roster to Challenge the Rams

The Rams are, of course, the Rams, and to an extent, Detroit is too. Detroit's General Manager Brad Holmes is a former Rams executive who worked closely with Les Snead before taking the Lions job in 2021.

Since then, former Rams such as Jared Goff, Josh Reynolds, and Michael Brockers have represented the organization as Holmes has taken a similar approach to team building, leveraging his first-round picks and making the most out of the day-three/ UDFA market.

The Vikings have responded by bringing in critical elements to their team that are specifically designed to stop both franchises.

The first is fixing the only issue on their offense, the offensive line. The Vikings brought in Will Fries and Ryan Kelly from the Colts, two players who know how to provide holes for the rushing attack, while they added rookie Donovan Jackson from the National Championship Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Rams were able to put a ton of pressure on quarterback Sam Darnold, making him a sitting duck in the pocket. The line should first help keep newly appointed QB1 J.J. McCarthy upright while allowing the Vikings to keep pass rushers at bay by running the football.

McCarthy himself adds the one element the Rams struggle to defend against, and that's an offense that has multiple avenues of speed. The Eagles with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley. The Dolphins with De’Von Achane, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle.

The Eagles and Dolphins were the only teams the Rams lost to once they got healthy. They lost to the Seahawks in the regular-season finale, but they were also playing their backups.

It's easy to defend an immobile Darnold, but having to defend Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Addison, and the rest of the Vikings' weapons while having to account for McCarthy's blazing speed isn't an easy task.

On defense, they brought back Byron Murphy Jr and Harrison Smith. While their secondary remains a concern, adding Jonathan Allen on the defensive line gives defensive coordinator Brian Flores to control on the line of scrimmage he needs to force teams to pass the football. That's an addition to limit Kyren Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, etc.

By making Stafford go airborne, Flores can be in his bag, dialing up blitzes and coverages meant to induce turnovers or sacks. In two games against the Vikings, Williams had over 200 yards from scrimmage alone.

Watch out for the Vikings. Kevin O'Connell smells blood in the water, and he wants a win over his former boss.