The Minnesota Vikings will look to extend their best start since 2016 when they face the New York Jets in London on Sunday morning.
The Vikings have won their first four games to open the season, but they may have a bad taste in their mouth after being outscored 29-3 on the back end of a 31-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Meanwhile, the Jets are coming off their most disappointing effort of the year, falling to the Denver Broncos 10-9 at home last week and entering Sunday with a record of 2-2.
In this article, we’ll list three bold predictions for Sunday’s game and see who can come out with a victory when the Vikings and Jets clash across the pond.
Minnesota Vikings Predictions for Week 5 vs. the New York Jets
1. Jordan Addison will have his first 100-yard game this season
A lot of the focus will go to Justin Jefferson’s matchup with Sauce Gardner, which features a pair of All-Pros. But while the Jets may look to slow down Jefferson, it could leave Jordan Addison for his biggest game of the season.
Jefferson’s role has changed for the Vikings this season and you may have noticed in the box score. Jefferson has topped 100 yards in a game just once this season and he hasn’t received more than eight targets as Sam Darnold has spread the ball around.
In previous years, this would have been disastrous, but Jefferson’s role has evolved in the way a contact hitter turns into a power hitter. They still get the bat on the ball, but a power hitter has more of an impact in the same way that Jefferson has a touchdown reception in all four games this season.
If the Jets want to focus on Jefferson, it could leave Addison open for a big game. After making his return with two touchdowns against the Packers last week, Addison could have a larger role as he becomes further away from his ankle injury.
That could lead to some big plays for the former first-round pick and perhaps help Jefferson score another touchdown despite a tough matchup.
2. The Vikings will sack Aaron Rodgers five times
One of the biggest issues with the Jets has been protecting Aaron Rodgers. Left tackle Tyron Smith hasn’t provided the impact New York was hoping for when they signed him in free agency, allowing three sacks in the past two games, and rookie right tackle Olu Fashanu allowed a team-high five quarterback pressures and one hit filling in for the injured Morgan Moses.
Even worse? Jets running back Breece Hall recently admitted to getting “antsy” at the possibility of the Broncos blitzing which is bad news going against Brian Flores’s defense.
The Vikings lead the league with 17 sacks but also rank second in pressure rate (34.3 percent) and second in blitz rate (40.8 percent). With Pace likely to return on Sunday, Flores will have another pass rusher in his stable to go with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner.
A healthy Vikings defense is a nightmare for opposing teams, especially when they can’t protect the quarterback. With the Jets' struggles, expect the Vikings to get to Rodgers early and often.
3. The Vikings will run for a season-high in rushing yards
Darnold has generated most of the headlines and is an MVP candidate in the early stages of the season. But one of the biggest reasons for the Vikings’ success has been their efficiency in the running game.
The arrival of Aaron Jones has transformed the Vikings' offense as he ranks fifth among running backs with a 60.9 success rate – defined as the frequency a runner picks up 40 percent of yards on first down, 60 percent of yards on second down and 100 percent of yards on third and fourth down.
The efficiency has also turned into frequency as the Vikings rank 13th with 112 rushing attempts after ranking 28th last season.
Both seem like a formula for success against a Jets defense that is averaging 4.6 yards per carry against the run this season. While Darnold will get his, the Vikings could lean on the running game to run over the Jets and improve to 5-0.
Prediction: Vikings win 27-13