Minnesota Vikings vs. Houston Texans Week #9 Preview
The Vikings are coming off a bye in Week 8, and now look forward to the next few games. How the next few games pan out will set the stage for how the rest of the season will go.
For Week 9, the Vikings will welcome the Houston Texans to town. The Texans have a 3-4 record like the Vikings and have won three in a row. Houston has played better recently, but has beaten the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals the past two weeks. As any NFL follower would know, those two teams are both winless. Also worth mentioning is that all three wins in the Texans’ winning streak came at home after the schedule re-arrangement caused by Hurricane Ike. This game will say a lot about Houston’s improvement if they can be competitive on the road in a tough environment.
The Vikings have a major potential issue coming this week. A report has suggested that multiple players in the NFL, including Vikings’ DTs Pat and Kevin Williams, have failed a league-issued drug test by testing positive for a diuretic pill that is on the league’s banned substance list. The supplement supposedly helps players (and people in general, I suppose) lose weight by helping the body shed water weight. It is considered a banned substance by the NFL because it can be used as a masking agent to cover up steroid usage.
If suspended, the “Williams Wall” would miss four games under league rules. That would obviously be detrimental to the Vikings’ playoff hopes, as Pat and Kevin are key components to the team’s defense and the run defense in particular. DE Jared Allen would be likely to see more double teams as well, thus possibly limiting his effectiveness. And with LB E.J. Henderson already out for the season, Houston could have some success running the ball if the Pat and Kevin Williams are suspended for this game. It is unknown right now whether the Williams’ will play this Sunday.> Buy Minnesota Vikings apparel & jerseys online through Pro Football Fans and check out the 2008 NFL scores!
One positive for the Vikings’ defense this week is the likely debut of S Madieu Williams. Williams was a free agent signee last offseason from the Cincinnati Bengals, but injured his neck in training camp and has yet to play a regular season game. His presence should help the Vikings’ pass defense this week against Houston QB Matt Schaub, who has been playing very well lately, and his top targets: WRs Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter and TE Owen Daniels.
Offensively, the Vikings should once again look to feature RB Adrian Peterson prominently, with RB Chester Taylor also possibly having a significant role. If they can establish the running game, they can keep their potentially depleted defense off the field as much as possible. But it will also be important for QB Gus Frerotte to be effective and, perhaps most importantly, avoid turnovers.
By Brad Berreman
ProFootball-fans.com Minnesota Vikings Correspondent