5 Bold Predictions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Kansas City Chiefs – Week 5
By Chris Schad
Bold Prediction No. 3
The Chiefs will keep Justin Jefferson out of the end zone
Justin Jefferson has been on a tear this season, picking up 100 yards in three of his first four games. The Vikings’ star receiver has also lived in the end zone, scoring three touchdowns in the past two games.
But Jefferson faces a much tougher matchup against the Chiefs, and it will be up to some of the secondary weapons to pick up the slack.
Kansas City is known for their ability on the offensive side of the ball, but their defense has done a lot of the heavy lifting this year.
Steve Spagnolo’s defense is currently sixth in the NFL with 60 points allowed over their first four games, and with Chris Jones in the middle, it brings a variety of issues for Minnesota in pass protection.
“[Jones] is one of the premier, if not right there with [Aaron Donald]...as one of the premier guys right now,” O’Connell told reporters last week. “Our league has so many talented interior [defensive] linemen right now, but [Jones] has clearly established himself as a game-wrecker type, and we’ve got to account for him.”
On top of the Chiefs’ pass rush, which ranks third in the NFL with a 29.9 percent pressure rate, Kansas City has also been great in coverage, ranking fifth with 5.1 net yards per attempt.
This should mean a lot of attention toward Jefferson and tough sledding for the Vikings’ passing game.