Our Official Staff Prediction for Vikings at Giants
The VikingsTerritory collective staff prediction for Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants is ready.
The Vikings finished 7-10 last year after a litany of quarterback injuries undermined Kevin O’Connell’s second season as head coach. Then, Kirk Cousins bolted to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. It’s a new era for the purple team, featuring Sam Darnold at quarterback and rookie passer J.J. McCarthy tentatively scheduled to debut in 2025.
Our Official Staff Prediction for Vikings at Lions
This weekend, the Giants host the Vikings, a team that, per oddsmakers, shares the same 6.5-win forecast in 2024 as Minnesota.
The writers at VikingsTerritory predict the Vikings will win their first game of the season.
Writers unanimously chose the Vikings, evidently confident the season begin with some thunder, even if no one knows how the quarterback will play.
Here’s how the panel sees the score for Week 1:
Dustin Baker: Vikings Win, 24-20
Brevan Bane: Vikings Win, 23-20
Sean Borman: Vikings Win, 23-21
Janik Eckardt: Vikings Win, 24-17
Josh Frey: Vikings Win, 17-14
Henrique Gucciardi: Vikings Win, 21-10
Wes Johnson: Vikings Win, 27-23
Kyle Joudry: Vikings Win, 27-13
Adam New: Vikings Win, 23-17
Ted Schwerzler: Vikings Win, 20-17
Ali Siddiqui: Vikings Win, 24-20
Cole Smith: Vikings Win 30-11
Mathematically en masse, we predict the Vikings will top the Giants by a score of 24-17.
And 2023 season standings for our writers’ predictions:
Dustin Baker: 10-7
Sean Borman: 10-7
Janik Eckardt: 10-7
Adam New: 10-7
Cole Smith: 10-7
Nate Powalie: 9-8
Ted Schwerzler: 9-8
Josh Frey: 9-8
Will Goodwin: 8-9
Wes Johnson: 8-9
Kyle Joudry: 7-10
Ali Siddiqui: 6-11
Last year, five of our writers above split for best prognosticator, though nobody really did that well with a 10-7 accuracy.
The Vikings are favored to prevail by 1.5 points against the Giants, and New York has lost four of its last five matchups against Minnesota. The only win — you guessed it — was the last meeting in the 2022 postseason.
Sporting News picked the Giants to defeat the Vikings, and SN’s Vinnie Iyer explained with a 17-14 prediction, “Sam Darnold is Minnesota’s starting quarterback with rookie J.J. McCarthy (knee) out for the season. Darnold returns to his original home as a former Jet, but the Giants’ defense won’t be kind, getting good pressure on him with its improved front. Daniel Jones hasn’t inspired much as New York’s QB in his return from major knee injury, but he can make enough plays with his legs to steal an ugly one, as he will have his share of passing woes vs. Brian Flores’ pass rush.”
VT’s Wes Johnson said about an incoming Minnesota win, “Flores’ defense overwhelms Jones into multiple mistakes. Aaron Jones shows the league that he’s still got juice by eclipsing more than 100+ all-purpose yards. Darnold is mistake-free enough for the Vikings to maintain a lead and secure a victory.”
When new quarterback Sam Darnold takes the field on Sunday, he’ll experience his 21st start at MetLife stadium.
Vikings Free Up Some Cap Space
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 Vikings 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.
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