Vikings Week 4 Preview: London Calling for Cassel

The Vikings travel to London this week for a "home" match-up against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that's just as desperate for a win as this team. The Steelers also come to London without a win on the season, a position two time Super Bowl champion quarterback "Big Ben" Roesthlisberger and Super Bowl champion head coach Mike Tomlin have never been in this far into a season. The Vikings are going to field a depleted roster on this international trip, as backup quarterback Matt Cassel will get the start over an injured Christian Ponder, and starting secondary members Chris Cook and Jamarcus Sanford have already been ruled out for the game. The Vikings will get Pro Bowl fullback Jerome Felton back from his three game suspension Sunday, but Adrian Peterson's other main lead blocker, tight end Rhett Ellison, is out with a knee injury. The game in London was most likely billed to the locals as a competitive match-up between two historic franchises. Instead, our allies get 0-6. As per usual, here are the big questions facing the Vikings this week as they attempt to get their first win of the season.

Offense

Will Jerome Felton's return make an impact?

Adrian Peterson's lead blocker is going to be returning to the field Sunday, and #28 has got to be hoping that he's going to help get the Vikings' ground game going. After starting the season with a 78 yard touchdown run, Peterson has been held to under three yards a carry since. The offensive line has been a mess, and Peterson was also missing his second lead blocker Rhett Ellison (who was responsible for that 78 yard score with a key block) for most of last week. The Vikings would love it if Felton could get Adrian out in space again, but Felton has not played in a game since week one of the preseason due to an appendectomy and then a three game suspension. It's fair to wonder if he'll be in game shape right away. The Vikings need their Pro Bowl fullback to make an impact now against the Steelers' tough defense, and it will be interesting to see if he's up to the task.

Can the offense limit giveaways?

Through the first three games, the Vikings' offense ranks second in the NFL in a key statistical category: turnovers. The Vikings have already given away the ball nine times this year, and that's been a major reason why they have yet to come away with a victory on the season. Luckily, they are facing a Steeler defense that is ranked dead last in taking the ball away, as they have yet to force a single turnover. If Matt Cassel proves better than Christian Ponder and keeping the football out of harm's way, this team is going to have a much greater chance of success. That may prove to be a challenge for Cassel though, as he has 22 interceptions in just his last 17 games.

What will we see out of Matt Cassel?

Tom Brady's former backup will get the start for the Vikings this week, over an injured Christian Ponder. Needless to say, plenty of Vikings fans are going to put Cassel under the microscope this week to determine if he should be the Vikings' starter going forward. If Cassel makes sure the Vikings hold onto the football and shows he can get the receivers involved more (and maybe loosens up the box for Adrian), then it's going to be tough for Leslie Fraizer to go back to Ponder as his starter. Cassel has been effective in short bursts in his career, going to the Pro Bowl in 2010, but he has also gone through stretches of very disappointing play (see the turnover statistic above), and it will be interesting to see which version of Cassel will show up for the Vikings. So far, reaction in the Vikings' locker room has been very supportive of Cassel, as both Greg Jennings and Jerome Simpson have come forward praising his presence in the huddle (per Andre Kramer at 1500 ESPN), meaning this is a change players might want to take a chance on too.

Defense

How is this secondary going to hold up?
The Vikings' secondary is going to have a big target on their back going into this week, as they've suffered several injuries and will not be at full strength Sunday.. Starting cornerback Chris Cook is out, meaning the Vikings are going to rely on rookie Xavier Rhodes, second year corner Josh Robinson, and special teamer Marcus Sherels to beat a potential Hall of Fame quarterback in Ben Roesthlisberger. Rhodes has looked like a solid investment so far, and Sherels deserves heaps of praise for how he performed when called upon last week, but Big Ben is by far the best quarterback this team has faced this year. The Steelers like to throw this year too, as they have almost no running game to speak of right now. If Brian Hoyer can throw for over 300 yards against the Vikings' back end, it's scary to think of what the Steelers could do on Sunday.

Will we see a pass rush?

One of the biggest surprises for the Vikings so far this season is their complete lack of a pass rush with their front four. After the Browns gave up 11 sacks in their first two starts, the Vikings' defensive line only recorded one sack and linebackers were asked to blitz in order to manufacture pressure. The Steelers' offensive line is by far the weak point of their offense, but this defensive line has not shown that they can take advantage of that. The secondary looks set up to have a rough day with so many injuries, and they're going to need this pass rush to step it up and make sure Big Ben does not have a lot of time to throw. Sadly, Big Ben is one of the best in the game at escaping pressure, and it's going to very tough for the Vikings to bring him down.

Can the defense show up in the first half?

The Vikings have allowed 48 points in the first half in their last two games. Not surprisingly, they entered halftime in both of those games trailing their opponents. The defense has yet to get off to a good start, and they have simply looked unprepared for what opposing teams have thrown at them each week. With a new starter at quarterback facing a tough defense, the Vikings need their own defense to step up and support the team throughout the entire game. The Vikings cannot afford to take another half off in they finally want their first win of the season.

Coaching

Is this coaching staff going to be able to keep this team together?

There were plenty of bad feelings around the locker room after the loss to the Browns last Sunday, where the Vikings were both clearly outplayed and outcoached. The coaching staff needs to come into Sunday's contest more prepared for their opponent, and they need to make sure the players come out playing hard. The Vikings were caught sleeping several times last Sunday and that's simply unacceptable if you want to win games in the NFL. The London trip and the new starter at quarterback hopefully will provide a small spark for this team coming into their fourth game, and the coaching staff needs to make sure they can turn that spark into production on the field.

Final Prediction: 24-20 Steelers

The Vikings' secondary is just too glaring a weakness to overcome against a quality quarterback like Big Ben, and their non-existent pass rush from their front four won't be able to cover that weakness up. I fully expect Matt Cassel to play effective football, and I think he's going to play well enough to get the start against Carolina too, but Cassel isn't good enough to overcome a poor defensive backfield.