Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) drops back to pass against the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.
The VikingsTerritory collective staff prediction for the Houston at Minnesota Vikings is ready.
Minnesota outdueled the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday, defeating Kyle Shanhan’s Super Bowl runner-up club by six points. The Vikings are undefeated.
This weekend, the Vikings host the Texans — also an unbeaten team.
The writers at VikingsTerritory predict Minnesota will win its third game of the season.
Writers mostly chose the Vikings, evidently confident that the Vikings’ Week 2 upset over the 49ers implies the sky is the limit.
Here’s how the panel sees the score for Week 3:
Dustin Baker: Vikings Win, 27-24
Sean Borman: Vikings Win, 28-17
Janik Eckardt: Texans Win, 27-21
Josh Frey: Texans Win, 24-17
Henrique Gucciardi: Vikings Win, 17-13
Wes Johnson: Vikings Win, 23-17
Kyle Joudry: Vikings Win, 33-26
Adam New: Texans Win, 23-20
Ted Schwerzler: Vikings Win, 17-10
Ali Siddiqui: Vikings Win, 24-20
Cole Smith: Vikings Win 20-14
Mathematically en masse, we predict the Vikings will top the Texans by a score of 23-20.
And 2024 season standings for our writers’ predictions:
Henrique Gucciardi: 2-0
Wes Johnson: 2-0
Ted Schwerzler: 2-0
Dustin Baker: 1-1
Sean Borman: 1-1
Janik Eckardt: 1-1
Adam New: 1-1
Cole Smith: 1-1
Josh Frey: 1-1
Kyle Joudry: 1-1
Ali Siddiqui: 1-1
Last week, Henrique Gucciardi and Ted Schwerzler most accurately predicted the outcome of 49ers at Vikings. Gucciardi and Schwerzler forecasted a three-point triumph for Minnesota, and it won by six.
The Texans are favored to prevail by 1.5 points against the Vikings, although Houston has never won a game against Minnesota. The Texans arrived on the scene in 2002 and have lost five games to the Vikings since their inception.
Sporting News picked the Texans to defeat Minnesota, and SN’s Vinnie Iyer prognosticated a 20-17 final score. “The Texans and Vikings traded some pass-rush pop in the offseason with Danielle Hunter and Jonathan Greenard swapping places,” Iyer explained.
“These defenses are nasty and can get around everywhere to go after Sam Darnold and C.J. Stroud, neither of whom will benefit from good running game balance. In an ugly game, take the better QB with better, healthier weapons to make the winning plays.”
In the Houston showdown, the Vikings will face many of their former players, including Danielle Hunter, Stefon Diggs, Cam Akers, and Kris Boyd.
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.