Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
Sunday, September 20, 1PM ET
I’m not going to sugarcoat it — the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 1 loss was ugly. I was confident they’d pull off the win, and instead the Green Bay Packers put a whooping on them while dominating time of possession and making life tough for Kirk Cousins.
It’s not the Minnesota offense that needs to get his act together, though. Instead, it’s the defense that simply cannot allow itself to be shredded against the Indianapolis Colts. Luckily for them, they’re facing a Philip Rivers-led offense that historically have a tendency to create untimely turnovers and fall apart in the clutch.
The Vikings can pick up points when they need to. Cousins has plenty of weapons to work with, and the duo of Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison is one of the best in the NFL. The pass blocking must improve, but Cousins is experienced at adapting. Plus, I’m sure Adam Thielen will love the opportunity to burn Xavier Rhodes a few times.
Indianapolis has the makings of a playoff team this season, but we saw something different in Week 1. They could easily bounce back in Week 2, but I’m putting my money on the Vikings to sneak away with the win and get themselves back on track.
Prediction: Vikings win 27-18