Jan 7, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) catches a pass for a touchdown in front of Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton (1) during second half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings have a 6-2 record through nine weeks and travel to Jacksonville for a date with the Jaguars on Sunday.
The NFL regular season reached a midpoint after Week 9, and Minnesota is sitting pretty.
So, with half the season left, these are four predictions for the Vikings’ season remainder.
Addison has just 273 receiving yards at the season’s middle. Last year, as a rookie, he banked over 900. He’s dealt with an ankle injury this season, but his bust-out should be on its way. The guy was supposed to take the jump to a 1,000-yard season — not 500 or so.
He’ll break out before too long, and in fact, the next few games are prime territory.
Turner played over 30 defensive snaps in Week 1, and then after an injury in Week 2, he basically became a forgotten man.
But the Vikings have insisted — ad nauseam — that Turner will intermix into the defense. This brand of Vikings leadership isn’t known for lying or misleading. Turner’s snap count grew last weekend and will increase henceforth.
Veteran pass rusher Patrick Jones II will hit the sidelines more frequently as Turner begins his ascension.
The Falcons have an impressive 6-3 record, sitting in third place inside the NFC. They’d host the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wildcard Round if the playoffs began today.
Well, per sports poetry, the Vikings will find a way to get the fifth, sixth, or seventh seed — and line up in a spot that matches them with Kirk Cousins and friends in January. This doesn’t mean that the Falcons are fantastic or that Cousins has the juice to down the Vikings, but we’ll see Falcons-Vikings in January (after a December regular season game).
After defeating Atlanta in Round 1, Minnesota will hit the road for a Divisional Round playoff game and lose to the Eagles, 49ers, or Lions.
The 2024 team was only supposed to win six or seven games, so the fan base won’t consider the second-round playoff loss too devastating. With the J.J. McCarthy era around the bend, winning a postseason game in the “Sam Darnold season” will be labeled a success.
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.