The Minnesota Vikings will look to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2020 when they host another 0-2 team in the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon.
The Vikings came into the season with high hopes but have been disappointing so far after losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With a battle between two snake-bitten franchises on deck, here are some things you can count on when these two teams meet at U.S. Bank Stadium.
1. Dalton Risner’s debut
After weeks of speculation, the Vikings finally signed Dalton Risner to a one-year, $4 million contract but it’s unclear what his role will be heading into Sunday’s game against the Chargers.
During an interview on Tuesday afternoon, Risner revealed the Vikings didn’t specify where they expected him to play along the offensive line and that he didn’t even know which direction to go on certain plays. He also admitted to getting lost in TCO Performance Center and was concerned about where to find lunch.
Risner’s “first day at college” vibes are a little concerning but the Vikings didn’t pay him $4 million to sit on the bench. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said that Risner made considerable progress throughout the week and with Ezra Cleveland and Ed Ingram struggling, it’s clear the Vikings will find some way to get the 28-year-old on the field.
2. Better ball security
One of the biggest reasons for the Vikings’ 0-2 start has been their lack of ball security. The Vikings have fumbled seven times over the first two games and while there is an unlucky element to losing all of those fumbles, O’Connell indicated that holding on to the ball would be a point of emphasis this week.
“We work different types of gauntlets where we incorporate punching…different hammers…every piece of equipment you can find on the internet to work ball security,” O’Connell said. “If we didn’t have it before, we purchased it and we will continue to do so and build drills to emphasize what we want to see out of our players.”
O’Connell’s comments make it hard not to envision Alexander Mattison running through something seen in the Saw series but it’s even harder to see them continuing to fumble away their victories.
3. More success for Jordan Addison
Addison has put a rocky offseason to become a legitimate weapon for the Vikings, catching seven passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns in the first two weeks.
While those numbers seem small, Addison became the 16th rookie in franchise history to catch a touchdown in back-to-back games and is on pace to become the third rookie receiver in Vikings history to gain 1,000 yards (Randy Moss, Justin Jefferson).
Your future ROTY Jordan Addison pic.twitter.com/0yP4LOCDyu
— Matt Anderson (@MattAnderson_8) September 15, 2023
That alone makes it seem like Addison is just getting warmed up but on Sunday he’ll walk into a matchup with a Chargers secondary that is allowing 9.49 yards per coverage snap in their first two games.
That number should mean a big day for the passing game overall but could lead to some big plays for Addison who has an average depth of target of 16.5 yards to begin his career.
4. The Chargers leaning on their passing attack
The Eagles racked up 259 rushing yards against the Vikings last week but the Chargers’ best option may be to lean on their passing game after Austin Ekeler was ruled out with an ankle injury.
The Chargers ran 40 times for 233 rushing yards with Ekeler in the lineup during a loss to the Miami Dolphins but ran the ball just 29 times for 61 yards when Ekeler missed their loss to the Tennessee Titans last week.
While the Chargers’ ground game could still get it done, they could rely on Justin Herbert (305 yards, 2 TD vs. Tennessee), Keenan Allen (8 catches, 111 yards, 2 TD) and Mike Williams (8 catches, 83 yards) to move the ball.
Although the Vikings have allowed 5.5 net yards per attempt this season, they’ve blitzed on 49.3 percent of their defensive snaps, which could exploit their young corners and lead to big plays through the air.
5. A high-scoring shootout
If you like points, this is the game for you. According to The Action Network, Sunday’s game carries an over/under total of 49.5 points and has a 54.5 over/under on PointsBet.
While the Vikings defense has improved, it’s still susceptible in some areas. With the Chargers also struggling to stop offenses it has the makings of a full-blown shootout at U.S. Bank Stadium.
With that in mind, we know something weird is going to happen because of the teams involved. The Chargers have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory so many times, they created their own verb to describe it. The Vikings have also had their share of moments, having 28 of their past 35 games decided by one possession since the start of the 2021 season.
Something will have to give and after having the ball bounce their way all of last season, it feels like things will go the other way on Sunday.
Prediction: Chargers 38, Vikings 37
