The Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers will avoid an 0-3 start when they battle each other in Minneapolis on Sunday.
The Minnesota Vikings haven’t gotten off to the start they had hoped for, but there is still time to turn their season around when they host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon.
The Vikings enter Sunday’s game with an 0-2 record. Since 1990, teams that have started 0-2 have an 11.5 percent chance of making the playoffs, and Minnesota hasn't accomplished that feat since 2008.
Even with history against them, the Vikings could be in a worse position as they still find themselves one game out of first place in the NFC North and still in the mix in a conference that doesn’t have a dominant team outside of the San Francisco 49ers.
Alas, falling into an 0-3 hole would be an early death sentence for Minnesota, and they’re facing a Chargers team that is in a similar spot. After losing to the Miami Dolphins and the Tennessee Titans by a combined five points, Brandon Staley’s job is on the hot seat, and Los Angeles faces a more daunting task competing in the loaded AFC.
It makes for an important matchup at U.S. Bank Stadium, but here are five bold predictions to see if the Vikings can get their season back on track.
Prediction No. 1
Cam Akers will lead the Vikings backfield in touches
The Vikings’ philosophy under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been to evaluate the roster at the beginning of the year, let the first few weeks play out, and see if there are avenues to improve the team. Adofo-Mensah cashed in on an opportunity to trade for T.J. Hockenson at least year’s trade deadline, and Minnesota is hoping that Cam Akers can have a similar effect on their running game beginning Sunday afternoon.
Akers’s career has been a wild ride since he was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, running for 625 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. After tearing his Achilles in training camp the following year, Akers made it back in time for the Super Bowl and ran for 786 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022.
Even with modest production, Akers has been a mercurial talent. Akers missed three games last season while the Rams attempted to trade for him and ran for 29 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown in a Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks before being deactivated for Week 2’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Akers’s recent production doesn’t suggest the Vikings are buying high, but that has been Adofo-Mensah’s motivation since becoming general manager. Akers worked with Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell in Los Angeles and should have a grasp of the system heading into Sunday’s game with the Chargers.
The Vikings aren’t looking to erase Alexander Mattison from the offense, but getting someone who can compliment him should be a good move going forward. Akers won’t have a massive advantage, but it may not be a surprise if he has the most touches of any Minnesota back in Week 3.
Prediction No. 2
Dalton Risner will not play against the Chargers
While Cam Akers’s arrival was met with a shoulder shrug, Dalton Risner received a hero’s welcome as a potential savior in the trenches. The offensive line has been battered by injuries to Garrett Bradbury and Christian Darrisaw over the first two weeks and has also been plagued by ineffectiveness, as Ed Ingram has seven pressures through two games.
Risner should be an upgrade at guard after allowing under 30 quarterback pressures in each of his first three NFL seasons, but it might not be realistic to expect him to play right away.
In an interview with local media on Tuesday, Risner revealed that the Vikings had not discussed whether he would play left guard or right guard, and he also admitted that he wasn’t even sure which way he’s supposed to go on certain plays.
The fact that neither has been discussed indicates Minnesota would like to observe before sticking Risner in the lineup. While Vikings fans would point the finger at Ed Ingram, Sunday’s game could be a last-ditch effort for him to save his job or lose his job to Risner.
Either way, Minnesota probably didn’t pay Risner $4 million to sit on the bench, but it might take some time for that investment to pay itself off.
Prediction No. 3
Jordan Addison will record his first 100-yard game
If you play DFS, you might want Jordan Addison in your lineup. That’s not because he’s scored a touchdown in each of his first two career games or because he’s on pace to become the third rookie receiver in Vikings history to gain 1,000 yards. It’s actually because Minnesota has a pristine matchup in the passing game, and Addison should be the main beneficiary.
The Chargers’ pass defense has been brutal through the first two games, and it starts at all three levels. Los Angeles has generated just 10 quarterback pressures in their first two losses, and they are currently allowing 9.49 yards per coverage snap, according to Pro Football Focus.
While those stats indicate a big day for Kirk Cousins, they should also mean great things for Addison, who goes up against a secondary where all four Chargers cornerbacks rank outside the top 60 in yards allowed per coverage snap and explosive plays (15+ yards) rate.
With an average depth of target of 16.5 yards, Addison will have his opportunities to cash in downfield, and it could lead to a career day.
Prediction No. 4
The Vikings will win the turnover battle
This is the main goal of every team in the NFL but is the thesis to the Vikings’ success through the rest of the season. Minnesota has turned the ball over eight times through two games, and each fumble has come at a time that has stunted their momentum.
During Wednesday’s press conference, O’Connell almost listed each turnover one-by-one, including Justin Jefferson reaching for the pylon after a 30-yard reception, Brandon Powell fumbling after a big punt return, or Alexander Mattison fumbling while going to the ground. He also mentioned that the Vikings are taking extreme measures to fix the fumbling problem.
“We try to vary six or seven different ball security drills,” O’Connell said. “I’m sure you guys have seen a lot of the ones we’ve done since we’ve been here [that are] all designed to really emphasize different aspects of ball security. We work different types of gauntlets where we incorporate punching, different hammers, different pieces of equipment that you can find on the internet to work on ball security. If we didn’t have it before, we purchased it.”
Although O’Connell sounds like a mix of Kevin Garnett getting ready for Game 7 and Tim McGraw’s character in "Friday Night Lights", his message is a simple one. Take care of the ball, and the rest of the problems should sort themselves out.
Prediction No. 5
The Vikings fall to 0-3 in an absolutely insane game
The Vikings have done everything they can to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole, but their opponent could make sure that they lose in excruciating fashion.
The Chargers have blown so many winnable games that they created a verb for it, and Minnesota has their own way of making games closer than they have to be. While some teams may view this as a walk in the park, both teams have lost their four games by a combined total of 14 points, and it should lead to more theatrics on Sunday.
Will there be a double doink? Or will there be a bad penalty call? Could there be a big injury during the game, or will one of O’Connell’s new ball security apparatuses go rogue and cause a critical turnover?
Anything is possible when the Vikings and Chargers meet up, and it should lead to Los Angeles walking out of U.S. Bank Stadium with a victory.
Prediction: Chargers win 38-37