Our Official Staff Prediction for Vikings at Falcons
The VikingsTerritory collective staff prediction for Vikings at Falcons is ready.
Minnesota won in Week 8 on the road at the Green Bay Packers, at a heavy cost as QB1 Kirk Cousins was lost for the season with a torn Achilles. The club now hopes to pick up the pieces with rookie quarterback Jaren Hall.
Our Official Staff Prediction for Vikings at Falcons
The Falcons lost to the Tennessee Titan by five points last weekend and are hungry to get back on track. Atlanta turns to Taylor Heinicke, a former Viking, at quarterback and owns around a 50% chance of reaching the postseason, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI).
The writers at VikingsTerritory predict the Vikings will win their fifth game of the season.
The group overwhelmingly chose the Vikings, probably because of the Falcons mediocrity. Minnesota’s defense is hitting its stride, the offensive line has dazzled, and the VikingsTerritory writers evidently expect big things from Hall.
Here’s how the panel sees the score for Week 9:
Dustin Baker: Vikings Win, 16-13
Sean Borman: Vikings Win, 24-17
Janik Eckardt: Vikings Win, 16-14
Josh Frey: Vikings Win, 20-17
Will Goodwin: Falcons Win, 19-16
Wes Johnson: Vikings Win, 23-16
Kyle Joudry: Vikings Win, 24-21
Adam New: Vikings Win, 19-13
Nate Powalie: Vikings Win, 27-6
Ted Schwerzler: Vikings Win, 24-17
Ali Siddiqui: Falcons Win, 17-13
Cole Smith: Vikings Win, 17-16
Mathematically en masse, we predict the Vikings will top the Falcons by a score of 20-16.
And 2023 season standings for our writers’ predictions:
Will Goodwin: 5-3
Nate Powalie: 5-3
Ted Schwerzler: 5-3
Cole Smith: 5-3
Dustin Baker: 4-4
Janik Eckardt: 4-4
Josh Frey: 4-4
Adam New: 4-4
Ali Siddiqui: 4-4
Wes Johnson: 4-4
Sean Borman: 3-5
Kyle Joudry: 3-5
Last week, Josh Frey most accurately predicted the Vikings outcome. He picked the Vikings to win by 11, and they won by 14.
The Falcons are favored to prevail by 4.5 points, as oddsmakers are skittish about a Vikings quarterback in his first start. Hall’s start will mark the first by a Vikings quarterback making his inaugural start since 2014.
Sporting News picked the Falcons to defeat the Vikings, and SN’s Bill Bender explained with a 24-17 prediction, “Yet another early-window game with backup quarterbacks. Jaren Hall replaced Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles. Taylor Heinicke replaced Falcons starter Desmond Ridder in Week 8. The Falcons are 3-1 S/U at home, but they might want to keep tabs on Jordan Addison – who has five TD catches in Minnesota’s last four games. Both teams turn the ball over too much, so we’ll stick with the home team.”
The Vikings have won four of their last five showdowns with the Falcons in the last decade, although Minnesota lost the last matchup in 2020, the team’s lowpoint that season.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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