5 Bold Predictions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears – Week 5

Minnesota will score a touchdown on every red-zone possession

One of the biggest storylines coming out of Sunday’s win over the Saints was the Vikings’ troubles inside the red zone. The Vikings marched inside the New Orleans 20-yard line five times during the matchup in London, but Minnesota only found the end zone twice, making the game closer than it had to be.

Although Greg Joseph cashed in to become NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, the Vikings would prefer to turn those drives into touchdowns.

Part of that will rest on the arm of Cousins. Sports Illustrated’s Will Ragatz pointed out several plays on Sunday where Cousins opted to take a safer throw rather than one that would lead to a touchdown. On Wednesday, Cousins admitted that the offense was leaving plays on the field and it’s just a matter of better execution.

“We’ve come out feeling like we’ve got to be sharper,” Cousins said. “We’ve got to be better. There are plays we’re leaving out there. I do feel that we have to tighten the screws down a little bit on some of our execution and that’s what we’re working towards.”

The good news for the Vikings is that they’ll face a secondary that will be down Jaylen Johnson. With Chicago’s top corner out of the lineup, it should have plenty of opportunities for Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson to find the end zone and help the Vikings cash in on some of their long drives.