After starting the season at 4-0, the Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the New York Jets in London. The final injury report revealed that the Jets could be without starting linebacker C.J. Mosley who has a toe injury, as he's listed as doubtful.
Mosley was supposed to be a pivotal part of the Jets defense this season but he's missed two games so far. This season, he's registered 12 tackles and his presence has been sorely missed. It could make a major impact on Sunday's game.
With Mosley potentially missing the game on Sunday, the Jets second level will be short-handed. The defensive line isn't playing very well so far this season compared to expectations and all of that plays well into the Vikings' hands.
The Vikings haven't prioritized the run game as much as they should have this season. They have improved their run game this season up to 15th in rush EPA/play but a whopping eighth in success rate.
Starting running back Aaron Jones has been solid this season with 321 yards on the ground. He is averaging 0.6 RYOE (T-16th in the NFL) and a positive EPA of 1.8 (15th in the NFL). What's really impressive is Jones has hit 15+ mph on 20 of his 64 rushing attempts. The Vikings have been smart not running Jones a ton but with their leads, it's a surprise that they haven't run the ball more.
That could change against the Jets on Sunday both due to potentially missing Mosley and their lack of success in the running game. They have allowed a shockingly high success rate of 43.9% (27th in NFL) and 21st in rush EPA/play allowed. Attacking their defense which loves to play man coverage with the running game could bring a safety up and really open things up on the back end.
Jones might not have a lot of production but the efficiency should carry over against the Jets, which could end up being a huge X-factor on Sunday.
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