The Minnesota Vikings are set to play the New England Patriots on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon, as Kevin O'Connell faces former Patriots teammate Mike Vrabel's team.
We likely won't see many starters play, as the Patriots are in Eagan this week for joint practices with the Vikings. But that doesn't mean that the Vikings' reserves don't hold some advantages over the Patriots' reserves.
Here are three positions in which the Vikings hold an edge over the Patriots going into Saturday's game.
The Vikings have one of the top EDGE tandems in the league in Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard. Those two surely won't play on Saturday, but their backups still create a problem.
Dallas Turner was quiet in limited playing time last week against the Houston Texans. Gabriel Murphy, on the other hand, made a strong case to be the fourth EDGE on the team, registering 1.5 sacks and five total pressures. Also, look for Bo Richter to play a lot and disrupt the Patriots' backfield.
The Vikings all of a sudden have a deep interior line room. Jalen Redmond impressed last year when he saw the field, and he made his presence felt against the Texans, generating two pressures. Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins are recent draft picks the Vikings would like to see splash on Saturday after having quieter days against the Texans.
But Elijah Williams, an undrafted free agent from Morgan State, had a stellar game against Houston. He had four pressures, two stops, and a 79.9 PFF grade, second-highest among all defenders. Williams drew praise from O'Connell following the game and could be a dark horse to make the roster.
Incredibly, the Vikings may not only have a good starting offensive line, but also good backups. Undrafted free agent Joe Huber was the Vikings' highest-graded offensive player last Saturday, receiving a 94.7 PFF grade.
Fellow undrafted free agent Logan Brown, a tackle from Kansas, was the team's best pass-blocker, per PFF. His 81.1 grade led the team. And Blake Brandel, who started every game in 2024 as the Vikings' left guard, showed off his flexibility as a reserve right tackle, playing 26 snaps against Houston and allowing only one pressure.