IND at MIN: A Chance to Silence the Doubt, Respond to Adversity, and Push for the Playoffs
IND at MIN: Week 9
Well, folks, I got it wrong.
The thinking was that Flores’ Fiends were going to feast. Instead, a calm, cool, and collected Matthew Stafford didn’t get sacked a single time as he shredded Minnesota’s defense for 4 touchdowns. Not great. Will the team be able to bounce back in their second-straight tilt in prime time? A Sunday Night Football game awaits against the 4-4 Indianapolis Colts. Who wins?
IND at MIN: The Week 9 Test
Anthony Richardson will now be heading to the bench. At the very least, he shouldn’t struggle with being too tired to play.
Veteran Joe Flacco is getting the nod in Indianapolis. In what feels like a lifetime ago, Flacco was the No. 18 pick for the Baltimore Ravens (2008 NFL Draft). He was even responsible for helping to bring a Super Bowl championship to Maryland.
Recent seasons have involved Mr. Flacco being a journeyman. He spent eleven seasons with the Ravens before putting in work with the Jets, Broncos, Browns, and now the Colts.
Across four games in 2024, Flacco has completed 65.7% of his passes for 716 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Flacco, in other words, has been playing football at a reasonably high level when given the chance in Indy. On PFF, Richardson is down at 37th in the QB rankings; Flacco finds himself at 19th.
Making life easier for the veteran passer is the presence of Jonathan Taylor. The RB1 is sitting on 92 carries for 454 yards and 5 touchdowns. The 4.9 yards-per-carry average is very healthy but he’s a modest threat as a pass catcher, turning 11 targets into just 7 receptions for 89 yards.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is working through an up-and-down week.
Stud left tackle Christian Darrisaw is done for the season, thus undermining one of the great strengths of the Vikings’ roster: the tackle tandem. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, never one to be afraid of a bold move, has responded by bringing in Cam Robinson to fill-in as the LT1. How does he do in his debut with Minnesota?
T.J. Hockenson should be back and Dalton Risner should be, as well. Oh, and the defense could see some more snaps for a talented rookie who hasn’t been getting much of a chance on game day.
In the offseason, I rolled with the Colts to come out on top. My thinking at the time was that Minnesota would be a good, albeit inconsistent, team. In some ways, that prophecy has proven to be prescient. Nevertheless, I’ll reverse course and insist that Kevin O’Connell finds a way to get the vikings ship moving in the right direction.
Look for a Vikings victory on Sunday Night Football in a close one.
Official Prediction: Vikings 27 — Colts 20
Prediction Record: 5-2
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.