Coming out of the bye week, the 5-2 Baltimore Ravens will face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9 of the 2021 season. Baltimore defensive coordinator Don Martindale needs to have his defense ready for this game, as the Vikings have plenty weapons on offense that could give the unit some fits. Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins is a talented player, and running back Dalvin Cook is one of the best rushers in the league.
The Vikings also have one of the better wide receiver duos in the NFL in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Baltimore needs to play disciplined football or else Cook could break some long runs and/or Cousins will pick apart the Ravens’ secondary.
Minnesota is somewhat of a middling offense on paper, as through eight weeks they rank 12th in the NFL with 4.5 yards per carry and 14th in the league with 6.6 net yards per passing attempt. However that doesn’t tell the whole story, as players like Cook, Thielen and Jefferson are threats to make a house call at any point.
The bye week came at a great time for Baltimore. They were able to figure out how to attack some of their issues and hopefully will be able to come out of their break as a better football team.
Under head coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens have a great record coming off of their bye week at 10-3. If the team stays disciplined on defense and the offense comes out on fire, then Baltimore should have a good shot to win this game, but they definitely need to be prepared for Minnesota’s offensive weapons.