NYJ at MIN (Sort Of): Darnold Looks for Revenge as Vikings Seek to Overcome Old Nemesis
NYJ at MIN (Sort Of): Week 5
Well, 4-0 feels pretty good, doesn’t it?
Next up is a trip across the pond for a London tilt. The New York Jets (2-2) are looking to bounce back from a brutal effort against the Denver Broncos in Week 4. Meanwhile, Minnesota is coming off of a too-close-for-comfort win over Green Bay, a divisional foe that almost pulled off the miracle. Does New York have what it takes to overcome Minnesota or does Kevin O’Connell’s crew remain flawless?
NYJ at MIN:
The QB Storylines and The Elite Defenses
Right now, Robert Saleh’s side of the ball is looking pretty good.
The Jets are being led by their defense. New York’s defense is sitting at 5th in the NFL by allowing an average of just 15.5 points against per game. At their worst, the Jets allowed 32 points, but that was back in Week 1 against the 49ers. Since then, it’s been 17 points, 3 points, and 10 points.
Headlining that group is Sauce Gardner, a stud at corner, and Quinnen Williams, a stud at defensive tackle. Pairing those two players is a pretty nice place to be. Tossing pass rusher Will McDonald into the mix — who has 5 sacks — makes the challenge even tougher.
Oh, and corner D.J. Reed is a ball player.
Yes, he’s a bit smaller — 5’9″, 188 — but he’s up to 14 tackles and 3 passes defended. Only 4 of 12 passes into his coverage have been completed, meaning QBs aren’t attacking him often and aren’t finding much success when they do. Even worse, the completions are going for an average of just 6.5 yards, meaning the corner tackles well.
Of course, so much of the attention rests on the QB battle. Aaron Rodgers is an old nemesis, someone whom Minnesotans love to hate. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame someday but is off to a more modest start in 2024. He’s completing 64.1% of his passes for 849 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a 92.9 passer rating.
No doubt, Sam Darnold has been playing better football.
Darnold is up to completing 68.9% of his passes for 932 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. The passer rating is sitting at a sizzling 118.9. Crucial for him is going to be limiting turnovers. Taking care of the football is what will be the key in the team pulling off the win.
At this point, I won’t be the one who picks against Minnesota. Give me the home team — sort of — to push the record up to a pristine 5-0.
Official Prediction: Vikings 27 — Jets 18
Prediction Record: 3-1
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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.
