The 0-2-0 Minnesota Vikings host the 0-2-0 Los Angeles Chargers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Vikings have a point spread of -1 with a money line of -110. The over/under total on the game is currently set at 54½ points.
&The Minnesota Vikings are coached by Kevin O’Connell who has been with the team since 2022. They have a current season record of 0-2-0 after going 13-4 last season. All coaches want big games from their defense andKevin O’Connell is no different.
The Minnesota Vikings are coached by Kevin O’Connell who has been with the team since 2022. They have a current season record of 0-2-0 after going 13-4 last season. All coaches want big games from their defense andKevin O’Connell is no different.
Kirk Cousins is the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. The 35-year-old Michigan State alum entered the league in 2012 and is looking for a win in front of the home crowd here. Thus far this season he has started 2 games and throw for 708 yards with a completion percentage of 72.7 percent. Kirk Cousins has thrown 6 touchdowns against 1 interceptions and has a QB Rating of 114.2.
His main target will be Justin Jefferson. The home crowd would love to see some fireworks from the 24-year-old target. He has made 20 receptions to date on 25 targets, a catch percentage of 0.8, for a total of 309 yards. Justin Jefferson is averaging 15.5 yards per catch with 0 touchdowns thus far. Kirk Cousins will be looking to connect with him for more here.
The Minnesota Vikings running game is lead by the 25-year-old Alexander Mattison. A big game from him could be the key to controlling the clock here. He’s taken 19 carries and rushed for 62 yards thus far this season. His yards per game currently sits at 31 yards per game, a number that you know Kevin O’Connell would love to see him exceed in this game. Alexander Mattison has 0 touchdowns this season and 1 fumbles.
Their kicker is Greg Joseph who has made 1 of 1 field goals this season, a 1 field goal percentage, with a long of 25 yards. The Minnesota Vikings fans don’t want to see him too much, but it’s good to know he can hit one if needed.
Overall, the Minnesota Vikings offense ranks 14 out of 32 teams in Offense DVOA at 0.0628484271223911, per FootballOutsiders. This season they have a Red Zone success rate of 0.667 with 4 Red Zone touchdowns in 6 attempts.
On the defensive end, the Minnesota Vikings have a Defense DVOA of 0.0612988585555319, ranking 20 in the league.
The Los Angeles Chargers are on the road for this one. Brandon Staley’s squad is 0-2-0 this season after going 10-7 last year. He has been at the helm since 2021 and is looking to grab a road win here. The Los Angeles Chargers have a betting line of -1 or you could bet them straight up at -110.
25-year-old Justin Herbert will be under center for this one. He entered the league in 2020 after playing his college days at Oregon. Justin Herbert has a quarterback rating of 102 on 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He’s started 2 games and thrown for 534, a completion percentage of 67.6.
The Los Angeles Chargers will look to get the running game going in this match-up and to do that they’ll need a big game from Austin Ekeler. The 28-year-old back has rushed for 1 touchdowns thus far this season and he’ll look to take it to the house again against the Minnesota Vikings. He’s taken the hand-off 16 times and added 117 yards for the offense. Austin Ekeler is averaging 117 yards per game for the season and has lost the ball 0 times. A turnover on the road could be seen as unacceptable for Brandon Staley so he’ll need to protect the ball here.
On the passing front, Justin Herbert will look to target Keenan Allen against the Brandon Staley defense. Keenan Allen has 2 touchdowns thus far this season and his team will be looking for more here. On the year, he’s been targeted 19 times and made 14 catches for 187 yards. Keenan Allen has a catch percentage of 0.737 and his yards per reception is 13.4.
The team will be looking for touchdowns, but they have Cameron Dicker to knock down field goals if needed. His season long is a 50 yarder which is always helpful on the road. Cameron Dicker has made 5 field goals on 50 attempts, a field goal percentage of 1.
According to FootballOutsiders, the Los Angeles Chargers offense has a Defense-adjusted Value Over Average of 0.217430524742002 which ranks at number 3 out of thirty two teams. If they hope to win on the road, they’ll need to do well in the Red Zone. For the year, they have scored 6 Red Zone touchdowns on 10 attempts, a Red Zone percentage of 0.6.
Key Match-ups:
- Kirk Cousins QB Rating of 114.2 vs. Los Angeles Chargers Defensive Passing YPG of 333
Los Angeles Chargers have 14 interceptions this year and 5 sacks. They are allowing 22.5882352941177 points per game. - Alexander Mattison vs. Los Angeles Chargers number 32 ranked DVOA Defense
Opponents are averaging 5.4 yards per carry against Los Angeles Chargers and 145.764705882353 per game. - Justin Herbert QB Rating of 102 vs. Minnesota Vikings Pass Defense
- The Minnesota Vikings defense has allowed 25.1176470588235 points per game thus far this season. They have sacked the quarterback 5 times and picked him off 15 times.
- Austin Ekeler vs. Minnesota Vikings Defense
Minnesota Vikings is giving up 123.117647058824 yards per game on 4.5 per carry thus far this season.