After a three-game sequence that saw the team release its highly-touted rookie kicker after missing three field goals in a tie against Green Bay, then get blown out at home by a Bills team thought to be one of the league’s worst, then have their defense dismantled in L.A. by the Rams, the panic button was firmly pressed down in Vikingsland.
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Three weeks later, hands are still hovering over that button, but Minnesota has two straight wins, is back over .500 and could potentially take the NFC North lead with another win this Sunday on the road against the Jets. It’s one of the more favorable matchups left on the Vikings’ schedule, which includes a visit from the 4-1 Saints next week, two games against the North-leading Bears, another game with the Packers and back-to-back road tests in New England and Seattle.
So can the Vikings keep it going? Our crew of Chad Graff, Arif Hasan and Jon Krawczynski previews Week 7.
What I’m watching
Graff: The Vikings’ third-down defense, a spot they rank tops again in the NFL, limiting opponents to conversions only 25 percent of the time. In their win over the Arizona Cardinals last week, the Vikings didn’t allow a single third-down conversion on Arizona’s 10 tries. Sunday, they go against a sub-par Jets offense that ranks 23rd in third-down percentage. When the Vikings lost a trap game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense moved the chains on three of their first five third downs en route to a 27-0 lead. If the Vikings are going to avoid a similar fate without looking ahead to a playoff rematch with the Saints awaiting in primetime next week, they’ll need to shut down Sam Darnold and the Jets on third down.
Hasan: Darnold has seemingly improved over the past two weeks, so he’s worth keeping an eye on, though he’ll likely make some turnover-worthy plays. The Vikings will need to find a way to contain defensive end Leonard Williams, and their offensive line might not be entirely up to the task. That said, the matchups that they have elsewhere look good. The Jets’ secondary has been performing well, but with injuries throughout, Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs should feast. The Vikings should take advantage of the fact that the Jets don’t generate much pressure outside of Williams and dial up some deep shots to take advantage of the depleted defensive-back corps and stay away from safety Jamal Adams and linebacker Darron Lee, both of whom have been fantastic over the middle. Seeing how DeFilippo responds to a new set of challenges will be a big part of seeing how much playcalling has impacted the offense.
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Krawczynski: Thielen. How can you not be watching him at this point? All he does is get open and make acrobatic receptions. And make no mistake, there is plenty of athleticism that goes into his record-breaking run of production. Thielen is fast, agile, strong. He’s not a little engine that could. He’s a legit star, just one that was overlooked for far too long. Not anymore.
The Vikings win if …
Graff: Their offense continues to hum. They should find plenty of favorable matchups in the passing game (stop me if you’ve heard that before) with the Jets’ 22nd-ranked pass defense trying to cover both Thielen and Diggs. Dalvin Cook will remain out for the Vikings, but their offense doesn’t revolve around the running game and should again rely on Kirk Cousins to try to find holes against the Jets.
Hasan: They confuse the rookie. Darnold seemingly is a better decision-maker than Arizona’s Josh Rosen, but that doesn’t mean the Vikings shouldn’t try to disguise what they do and force him to make the wrong decision. On offense, they’ll need to remain sound and execute, but they have an advantage because of the health situation. If they can stop the bleeding defensively, they’ll win.
Krawczynski: The defense continues its steady improvement. There was plenty of reason for alarm early in the season. They couldn’t get off the field, couldn’t prevent the big play and, aside from Danielle Hunter, couldn’t get to the quarterback. Over the last few weeks they have steadily started to assert themselves and are looking more like the headliner they were supposed to be entering the season. Another rookie QB up this week, and though Darnold has been awfully impressive, I think Mike Zimmer has found the right buttons to push to get the most out of his guys now.
Super Bowl meter
Graff: Growing with a chance to return to Week 1 heights if they’re able to pull off a third straight win before heading back to Minnesota for weeklong chatter about the Minneapolis Miracle.
Hasan: Room temperature. The Vikings have strung together some wins but average teams can get the wins they have. It won’t be until they form a streak against a number of underperforming teams or create a statement win before they can re-enter the conversation.
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Krawczynski: So you’re sayin’ there’s a chance? I don’t think it’s one in a million like the two Rhodes Scholars in “Dumb and Dumber,” but the Vikings are starting to make their move after a sluggish start. The defense is rolling, Cousins continues to make big plays and, best of all, the running game got going last week. When the Vikings offense becomes multifaceted to buttress a stingy defense, they start looking like the Super Bowl contenders everybody thought they were at the beginning of the season.
Game predictions
Graff: Vikings 24, Jets 17. The Jets hang around at home, but Cousins connects with Thielen enough to make him the NFL’s first receiver to open a season with seven straight games of at least 100 receiving yards, and the Vikings leave New York with a 4-2-1 record.
Hasan: Vikings 24, Jets 20. The Jets are at home and that gives them some room to work with, but the Vikings match up better almost everywhere.
Krawczynski: Vikings 31, Jets 24. The Jets can score just enough to make things interesting. But here’s guessing Darnold is going to see a few things he hasn’t yet in his promising young career.
Week-by-week picks
Make that seven straight weeks to start the season in total agreement. It’s Vikings across the board again for Week 7. What do you think? Vote now in our Twitter poll.
| 2018 Vikings week-by-week predictions: Week 7 | |||||
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| Week 1 vs. SF |
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| Week 2 at GB |
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| Week 3 vs. BUF |
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| Week 4 at LAR |
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| Week 5 at PHI |
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| Week 6 vs. ARI |
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| Week 7 at NYJ |
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Fantasy spin
(Top photo: Brace Hemmelgarn / USA TODAY Sports)