Vikings Will Go 2-1 through the First 3 Weeks
The Minnesota Vikings are not a popular pick to be competitive during the 2024 National Football League season, but they can open with a pretty solid start. Despite kicking the year off on the road and welcoming a Super Bowl team at home, they’ll start 2-1 through the first three weeks.
Vikings Will Go 2-1 through the First 3 Weeks
Listen, I understand that Kirk Cousins is gone, and the sky is falling. I get that Sam Darnold was a terrible quarterback for the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers. None of that matters for Kevin O’Connell’s team this year, and they should be expected to raise some eyebrows. That starts right out of the gate.
Playing the New York Giants on the road, the Minnesota Vikings will certainly be underdogs. However, Brian Daboll’s team has plenty of question marks on their own, and they have lost key offensive contributor Saquon Barkley. There isn’t much reason to believe that Daniel Jones is head and shoulders above Sam Darnold, and the Vikings’ new quarterback probably could have shredded an Ed Donatell defense, too.
If you lean into the notion that Darnold gets things going with new scenery, then a soft landing spot like the Giants is a good place to begin. There’s no reason why the Vikings can’t go one the road and pull off a minor upset during Week 1, and that would give them some positive momentum heading into the home opener.
Beating the San Francisco 49ers is another beast entirely. There is no reason why that should be expected, and it probably won’t happen. Still, Brock Purdy is a game manager, and the Vikings have previously bested this team at U.S. Bank Stadium. I don’t think it will happen in 2024, but it shouldn’t be expected as a guaranteed loss, either.
Darnold will be tested by a much better defensive unit in this game, and if he is asked to do a bit too much, he will probably have one of his tougher games of the season. O’Connell can have his troops lick their wounds and turn their focus toward another home matchup in Week 3.
Against the Houston Texans and former Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs, it will be about seeing what Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud can do in year two. He burst onto the scene as an incredibly talented signal caller, but substantiating that as teams have film to gameplan against you is tough. The Texans will be good, and seeing Danielle Hunter in a new uniform will be tough, but this is one Minnesota can pull out.
This certainly is an unpopular opinion when looking at the national landscape, and it’s probably more likely the Vikings start 0-3, but give me the fighting O’Connell’s going against the grain.
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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