Our Official Staff Prediction for Chargers at Vikings
The VikingsTerritory collective staff prediction for Chargers at Vikings is ready.
Minnesota lost in Week 2 at the Philadelphia Eagles, 34-28, a festival of fumbles that the Vikings could not circumvent.
Our Official Staff Prediction for Chargers at Vikings
The Chargers, like the Vikings, own an 0-2 record and enter U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday with similar desperation stakes. Only four teams since 1990 have later reached the playoffs after starting a season 0-3.
The writers at VikingsTerritory predict the Vikings will win their first game of the season.
The group unanimously picked the Vikings to prevail, evidently confident that the Vikings can rebound at home. Perhaps the committee is convinced Minnesota will solve its turnover woes.
Here’s how the panel sees the score for Week 3:
Dustin Baker: Vikings Win, 37-23
Sean Borman: Vikings Win, 28-27
Janik Eckardt: Vikings Win, 34-24
Josh Frey: Vikings Win, 31-21
Will Goodwin: Vikings Win, 30-26
Wes Johnson: Vikings Win, 34-27
Kyle Joudry: Vikings Win, 34-31
Adam New: Vikings Win, 31-27
Nate Powalie: Vikings Win, 26-14
Ted Schwerzler: Vikings Win, 28-17
Ali Siddiqui: Vikings Win, 27-17
Cole Smith: Vikings Win, 31-28
Mathematically en masse, we predict the Vikings will top the Chargers by a score of 31-24.
And our 2023 season standings for our writers’ predictions:
Dustin Baker: 1-1
Adam New: 1-1
Sean Borman: 1-1
Josh Frey: 1-1
Will Goodwin: 1-1
Ted Schwerzler: 1-1
Ali Siddiqui: 1-1
Cole Smith: 1-1
Nate Powalie: 1-1
Wes Johnson: 1-1
Janik Eckardt: 0-2
Kyle Joudry: 0-2
Last week, Will Goodwin and Dustin Baker most accurately predicted the Eagles-Vikings outcome, choosing Philadelphia to win by seven points. The Vikings lost by six points.
The point spread is currently even for Sunday’s matchup, a true “pick ’em” between two 0-2 clubs. The Vikings have won three straight matchups versus the Chargers.
Sporting News picked the Vikings to defeat the Chargers, too, and SN‘s Vinnie Iyer explained, “This is a battle of two desperate 0-2 teams that made the postseason in 2022. The Vikings had a long week after the Thursday Night Football loss to the Eagles. The Chargers lost an overtime heart-breaker to the Titans. Los Angeles’ losses are by a combined total of five points, and the Vikings are no stranger to one-score games. A small upset here puts more heat on Chargers coach Brandon Staley.”
Sunday’s game will be the first in the regular season at U.S. Bank Stadium for the Chargers. The Kansas City Chiefs are the only NFL team yet to play at the Vikings house.
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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