3 reasons the Vikings will beat the Ravens in Week 9
By Adam Carlson
Minnesota’s third-down defense is good
This has been an up-and-down season for the Minnesota Vikings defense. They started the season struggling to keep the score low and now that the unit is playing better, the offense can’t seem to put points on the board to get wins.
The Ravens aren’t great on third downs. Of their 85 attempts, they have only converted 31 of those for a first down. That means they only move the chains on 36 percent of those opportunities.
On the other hand, third-down defense is a big strength for the Vikings. Minnesota has been in that situation 86 times this season and has only allowed 28 conversions. That means only 33 percent of the times the opposing team gets their first down.
This may be a bit of a bigger challenge without Danielle Hunter and Patrick Peterson. Michael Pierce isn’t ready to return, which also hurts. But this team should be ready to tighten up the defense and force the Ravens to earn their first downs.