Vikings vs. Colts: What to know ahead of the Week 9 matchup

What to know when the Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night:

• Vikings vs. Colts
• When: 7:20 p.m. Sunday
• Where: U.S. Bank Stadium
• TV: NBC
• Radio: KFAN
• Line: Vikings -5
• Over/Under: 46.5

Keys for the Vikings

— There needs to be massive improvement from the Vikings on defense. They have lost a couple of games in a row largely because they have struggled to stop the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams. It starts with generating pressure up front. It’s no secret that defensive coordinator Brian Flores likes to send pressure, and if the pressure gets home, the Vikings can be hard to stop. The inability to rush the passer as of late has made everything else harder.

— Star receiver Justin Jefferson made an interesting comment this week. He talked about how head coach Kevin O’Connell has been dialing back certain aspects of the offense. That falls in line with O’Connell saying he wanted the offense to play with more of a fastbreak style. Essentially, the Vikings seem like they are going to rely on their best players to win their respective matchups. If they are able to do that, the Vikings are going to have success.

Keys for the Colts

— It would be wise for the Colts to rely heavily on star running back Jonathan Taylor. The former Badger has shown that he can carry a heavy workload and the Vikings have had some trouble stopping the run in the past. The effectiveness of Taylor would also open things up for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to fling the ball downfield. There will be opportunities for the Colts to pick up chunk yardage. They must take advantage of it.

— There might be an opportunity for the Colts to take advantage of the fact that the Vikings will have a different-looking offensive line. The loss of star left tackle Christian Darrisaw will be immense. It’s still unclear if veteran left tackle Cam Robinson will be available after being acquired via a trade this week. Regardless of who starts in place of Darrisaw, the Colts would be wise to put pressure on that side of the offensive line with hopes of throwing the Vikings out of whack.