Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates wide receiver K.J. Osborn's (17) touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings have remained in the league’s Top 10 Super Bowl odds, a totally wild circumstance after Minnesota was expected to win about six or seven games in 2024.
That’s the benefit of a 6-2 start. Minnesota ended a two-game losing skid last Sunday night and will hope to win two in a row this weekend in Jacksonville.
So, with that showdown around the bend, these are three bold predictions for Jaguars-Vikings.
Minnesota hasn’t tossed 40+ on a scoreboard since 2019, a home win over the Miami Dolphins when Dalvin Cook … cooked. The drought is lengthy.
If there were ever a spot to end the madness and explode for 40, it’s this weekend at Jacksonville. The Jaguars showcase the NFL’s worst offense per EPA/Play, and their season is quickly funneling down the tubes.
The Vikings will score 41 or 42 points.
Speaking of the league’s worst defense — the Jaguars — Justin Jefferson should feast on Sunday. He hasn’t crossed the 150-yard mark in a game this season, and based on his usual pedigree, he just has to do it before too long.
He’ll tally about 170 yards in Jacksonville, and the Jaguars will utilize their clumsy man coverage scheme on the best wide receiver in the business.
Jefferson will also grab at least one touchdown in a Vikings win by 20-25 points. If the purple offense can’t explode against the Jaguars, then it truly has some soul-searching afoot.
Will Reichard won’t play on Sunday — or in the next four games at all — but that doesn’t mean the kicking game has to sink into an abyss.
In March, Minnesota signed Parker Romo as its proposed kicking solution, only to lose his job when Reichard entered the mix. Romo can kick, too, and is known for power. He can hit from 50 and beyond, just like Reichard.
Romo will surprise onlookers by playing competently, and sometime after the 1st Quarter, head coach Kevin O’Connell will trust Romo to bang through a field goal beyond 50 yards. He won’t disappoint.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.