Vikings-Falcons preview: 3 big questions ahead of Sunday Night Football

The Vikings will look to move to 2-0 in the J.J. McCarthy era on Sunday night, but it won't be easy. Standing in their way are the Atlanta Falcons, a team led by a young quarterback with a big left arm and a dangerous group of weapons at his disposal. Here are three big questions that will go a long way toward determining whether or not the Vikings will keep pace with the Packers in the NFC North.

Can the pass rush get home this time?

One of the on-paper strengths of the Vikings' roster this year is a pass rush led by Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and newcomers Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, among others. That group supplied plenty of pressure on Caleb Williams in Week 1. Greenard and Hargrave recorded seven pressures apiece, per PFF. Allen added six of his own. Williams was under duress on 20 of his 44 dropbacks (45.5 percent).

The only problem was that the Vikings couldn't actually get Williams to the ground. He juked Greenard, slipped out of Allen's grasp, and evaded numerous other potential sacks. The Vikings didn't pick up their first one until Hargrave got him in the fourth quarter (Hargrave was awarded a second sack later on when he pushed Williams out of bounds).

The good news for the Vikings is that Penix, although he's athletic in his own right, is not quite as elusive as Williams. He's a pocket passer with just 34 rushing yards in four career starts (21 of which came last week). With that said, Penix has only taken five total sacks in those four starts. He can move, and he's pretty good at getting rid of the ball on time. Also not ideal for the Vikings is that Van Ginkel has been ruled out, although they're excited about the opportunity that awaits Dallas Turner.

The pass rush will be key for the Vikings on Sunday night because if Penix has time in the pocket, he's dangerous. He has the arm talent to make any throw on the field, and the Falcons have to feel OK about their chances with Drake London and Darnell Mooney going against Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers. Not having Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman could also hurt the Vikings in coverage against Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts.

What does J.J. have for an encore?

J.J. McCarthy is coming off of winning NFC offensive player of the week in his NFL debut, an accomplishment that no one could've seen coming when he had 56 passing yards and a pick-six through three quarters in Chicago. He showed what he's made of, both mentally and physically, by throwing for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and running for the dagger TD to seal a comeback win on the road. Now he'll look to build off of that performance and get off to a faster start in Week 2.

If McCarthy had any nerves on Monday night, which would be understandable, those should mostly be out of the way. He's set to make his home debut in primetime in front of 73,000 adoring fans at U.S. Bank Stadium. The noise level when the Vikings have the ball will make it easier for communication within the offense. And after becoming a father on Thursday, what's a little football game?

It's going to be fascinating to see what McCarthy has in store for an encore performance. The Falcons' defense has a few good players but was 29th in DVOA last year and is still a below-average unit on paper. The Vikings will presumably look to get the run game going early and let McCarthy loose as a passer, especially off of play-action. In Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones, Jalen Nailor, and Adam Thielen, he has no shortage of quality targets to find.

Will Minnesota's injury replacements hold up?

The Vikings are more banged up than they'd like to be, considering how early it is in the season. They'll be without at least four key starters: Jordan Addison (suspension), Christian Darrisaw (knee), Van Ginkel (concussion), and Cashman (hamstring). Harrison Smith (illness) might be a fifth. And while he isn't technically a starter, the Vikings will also be without No. 3 cornerback Jeff Okudah (concussion).

What that means is Minnesota's depth will be put to the test. Backup left tackle Justin Skule was shaky in Week 1, allowing four pressures and two sacks. He's someone to keep a close eye on. Turner will step in for Van Ginkel, while Eric Wilson is the next man up at linebacker with Cashman on IR. Jay Ward will see more action if Smith is out, and Dwight McGlothern appears to be in line to take Okudah's snaps (veteran Fabian Moreau is also an option).

The Vikings need their injury replacements to rise to the occasion on Sunday night.