The 3 Easiest Games Remaining on Vikings Schedule
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings toppled the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night, a get-right game for a team that had dropped two straight.
The 3 Easiest Games Remaining on Vikings Schedule
The regular season reached a midpoint after Week 9, and Minnesota is in the driverās seat to reach the postseason based on its current standing. The Vikings have 82.4% odds of reaching the playoffs, per DVOA.
Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images.
And with nine games left, these are the Vikingsā three easiest by the numbers.
3 ā
vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week 13
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.
W-L Record: 5-4
Offense EPA/Play Ranking: 12th
Defense EPA/Play Ranking: 28th
The Cardinals certainly arenāt a bad football team ā not one bit. They, in fact, lead the NFC West through nine games, if that can believed. If the postseason started today, the Vikings would travel to Arizona for a playoff game.
However, the Cardinalsā defense is currently suspect, ranking as the NFLās fifth-worst unit. The offense performs decently, but the enterprise is not balanced.
This matchup would not have made the cut of the āeasiestā if it were on the road, but Minnesota should take care of business at home in four weeks.
2 ā
at Tennessee Titans
Week 11
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) is introduced before a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Ā© Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
W-L Record: 2-6
Offense EPA/Play Ranking: 29th
Defense EPA/Play Ranking: 10th
Will Levis or Mason Rudolph will face Brian Floresā defense, and Minnesota should utterly feast. Floresā scheme makes a living on young, inexperienced quarterbacks. It also helps that Levis and Rudolph arenāt very good, in general.
The Titansā defense, though, isnāt a joke, so when these clubs lock horns in 11 days, the game should result in a relatively low-scoring affair.
Minnesota should win it based on the defensive matchup alone.
1 ā
at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 10
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson talks to quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the third quarter of a regular season NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-7. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
W-L Record: 2-7
Offense EPA/Play Ranking: 17th
Defense EPA/Play Ranking: 32nd
The Vikings might be the team to send Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson to unemployment.
Jacksonville is reeling at the moment, and thereās no good reason for it. It has its version of a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, plus a Super Bowl-winning skipper in Pederson. Nothing is working, though, and Minnesota should be primed to sink the Jaguars campaign to 2-8.
If Sam Darnold and Co. donāt score 24+ points this weekend, the offense will be labeled as inconsistent or rocky at best.
**Note: For curious minds, games against the Bears were not included in this list because when the Vikings and Bears meet, the showdown is weird or sloppy, almost no matter what.
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, āThe Sopranos,ā Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.Ā
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
