Vikings at Panthers — According to Madden 24
The Minnesota Vikings head to face off against the Carolina Panthers in a Week 4 matchup that features two winless teams. The Panthers were expected to take their lumps this season as they break in a rookie quarterback, and while the Vikings were expected to regress, it wasn’t seen to this extent. How does Madden 24 see the matchup playing out?
Vikings at Panthers — According to Madden 24
This should be the week head coach Kevin O’Connell unleashes his recently acquired talents. Both guard Dalton Risner and running back Cam Akers should see heavy snap counts for Minnesota against the Panthers, and generating better results from both positions isn’t exactly a lofty goal. How that played out in the Madden 24 simulation remained to be seen.
The script has been largely consistent for Minnesota through the first three weeks of the season. Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson have connected plenty. The defense has shown promise but struggled overall. Turnovers have been a massive issue. The running game hasn’t really gotten going. Most of all, the win column is empty.
Madden kicked things off with both teams getting off to a slow start. Neither team got onto the scoreboard in the first quarter, and the Vikings found themselves down 10-7 at halftime. Carolina kicker Eddy Pineiro opened the scoring with a 36-yard field goal before Akers could find paydirt for the Vikings just a couple of minutes later. Starting a two-minute drill, Bryce Young didn’t need long as Adam Thielen scored on a 75-yard reception to put the Panthers back on top.
Scoreless again in the third quarter, the two teams used the fourth quarter to draw even. After Chuba Hubbard punched in a touchdown for the Panthers, Carolina extended their lead to double-digits. The Vikings answered with a K.J. Osborn 6-yard touchdown reception and had clawed back within three. Getting the ball back one last time, Greg Joseph banged home a 48-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining to send the contest to overtime.
Minnesota held strong on defense in the extra frame and got the ball back. Rookie Jordan Addison then made his mark as he hauled in a two-yard pass from Cousins to walk the game off and emerge victorious. Madden’s simulation had this one coming to a 23-17 conclusion.
The quarterback comparison was near even in the yardage category, with Young throwing for 302 yards compared to Cousins’ 301. The former threw two interceptions, while the latter completed a pair of touchdowns.
Carolina leaned heavily on the running game, with Miles Sanders carrying the rock 22 times for 82 yards. Minnesota did use Akers, but just eight times for 29 yards. Alexander Mattison also got five carries but turned those into just 17 yards. Through the air, it was the Thielen revenge game. He popped off for 191 yards on nine catches. Osborn reached the century mark on eight receptions, and Justin Jefferson recorded 61 yards on seven catches.
There were only two sacks in the game, and both came at the expense of the Panthers Young. Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum each brought down the rookie signal caller for Minnesota. Picking off his passes, Harrison Smith and Jordan Hicks came up with turnovers for the Vikings defense.
Minnesota would love for Madden’s prediction to bear fruit on Sunday. Ideally, they wouldn’t need the extra frame to get the job done, but adding a tally to the win column would be more than welcomed at this point.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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