What Minnesota Vikings Fans Need to Know Ahead of Week 8 vs. the Los Angeles Chargers
The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a difficult loss to swallow this past weekend, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 28-22.
The Vikings certainly had their chances to steal this game at home during the second half, but in the end, they simply made too many mistakes on both sides of the ball to overcome the early deficit. Minnesota doesn’t have time to dwell on the loss though as they are headed to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers on a short week.
Here is a look at what Minnesota Vikings fans need to know ahead of the Week 8 matchup.
How to Watch the Minnesota Vikings This Week
The Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings will kick off at 7:15 p.m. Central on Thursday, October 23. The game will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video and can also be streamed on NFL+ in the NFL app.
Chargers/Vikings History
The Chargers and Vikings have met a grand total of 15 times throughout the histories of the two franchises with Minnesota leading the all-time series with a record of 8-7 against Los Angeles.
The Vikings won three consecutive games from 2015-2021 in the series to take the all-time lead, but the Chargers won the most recent matchup between the two teams back in 2023 behind 405 yards and three touchdowns from Justin Herbert.
Chargers Spotlight Player: OT Joe Alt
The Chargers have gone through some serious injury troubles on their offensive line this year, starting with the season-ending patellar tendon tear by Rashawn Slater. Then, Joe Alt suffered an ankle injury that has sidelined him for the past three games.
However, Alt has been listed as a limited participant in practice this week, and the Chargers would love to get him back onto the field this weekend against a tough Minnesota defensive front.
Alt had been one of the best offensive tackles in the league in terms of pass protection before getting hurt, allowing just three QB pressures and one sack in 142 pass blocking snaps.
Vikings Spotlight Player: LB Eric Wilson
The Vikings made a pretty major shakeup to their defensive lineup this past Sunday with Eric Wilson stepping into the starting linebacker position alongside Blake Cashman, who returned from injured reserve.
Of course, that left Ivan Pace on the sidelines, and the former undrafted free agent who turned into a consistent presence on Minnesota’s defense did not record a single defensive snap in the game. It was the first time in his career that Pace was limited exclusively to special teams.
Wilson took the opportunity and ran with it, recording six tackles and 1.5 sacks during the game. His three QB pressures doubled his season total as well. It will be interesting to see if the Vikings make this change permanent as they prepare to head to LA on a short week.
Editor’s Note: Statistics from Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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