We learned in the past couple of days that Tarvaris Jackson will start for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday when they face the Arizona Cardinals. The Vikings don't rely on the quarterback to win many games but Jackson will undoubtedly some impact on this game. The real question though is which team will benefit from his play?
Here's some quicks facts on Jackson's career to date:
- 8-8 record as a starter, but was 8-4 in 2007 in 12 starts. The Vikings were 0-4 without him at QB.
- In his eight career wins he's thrown 6 TDs and 6 Ints while completing 62.9% of his passes
- In his eight career losses he's thrown 5 TDs and 10 Ints while completing 52.3% of his passes.
- He's had a QB rating below 75 in ten career games and the Vikes are 3-7 in those games.
- He's thrown more interceptions than TDs in six games and the Vikes are 2-4 in those games.
- He averages 24 yards rushing per game in his 16 starts and he's rushed for
more than 35 yards four times. Oddly though, the Vikes are 1-3 in those games. - The Vikings are 0-5 when Jackson attempts more than 30 passes.
So how do the Cardinals attack Tarvaris Jackson? Most imprortantly, I think they've got to throw something at him that they haven't showed on tape yet. He's still a young developing quarterback and if he has to digest a new look from the defense, it could only benefit the Cardinals. I'd also expect to see some blitzing from Adrian Wilson and even Antrel Rolle. They're both likely to be around the line of scrimmage trying to slow down Adrian Peterson, so they could also put some pressure on Jackson when he drops back to pass. One final piece to the puzzle is to put as much of the game on his shoulders as possible. The Cardinals can to that one of two ways: jump out to an early lead or shut down the Vikings running game. If the Vikings have to rely on Tarvaris Jackson to win the game, this will be a Cardinals victory. Agree/Disagree? What else can they do throw off Jackson's game?