The Vikings’ Upcoming Hurdle that Adds Extra Significance to Picking Up a Win Tonight
For at least a few reasons, the Vikings need to pickup a win tonight.
For starters, there’s the deeply competitive NFC North. There’s then the threat of losing three games in a row and the potential to further see the season spiral. Hiding behind these more obvious reasons, though, is another: from Week 10-12, Minnesota will be on the road for three straight weeks. All of the sudden, the Week 9 game at U.S. Bank Stadium gets a bit more urgency.
The Vikings’ Upcoming Hurdle
Thankfully, the upcoming road opponents don’t look too formidable.
In Week 10, Minnesota will be travelling south to take on Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Currently, the Jags are selling off players, made evident in their move to ship LT Cam Robinson to the Vikings. Going into Week 9, the Jaguars sit at an uninspiring 2-6. Their offense sits at 21st in the NFL by averaging 21.5 points per game while their defense is in 29th by allowing an average of 28.0 points per game.
In Week 11, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gets to take on Ran Carthon (his friend) and the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars are a bad football team; the Titans are even worse.
Sitting at 1-6 going into Week 9, the Tennessee game should result in a win. Not altogether unlike Jacksonville, Tennessee is moving out players (DeAndre Hopkins). Not altogether unlike Jacksonville, Tennessee finds itself in a modest position in terms of the basic statistics.
The Titans are sitting on the NFL’s 28th best offense, scoring an average of 17.1 points per game (one can only assume that’s a curse for Will Levis’ mayonnaise cologne). Meanwhile, the defense is in an identical position to the Jags, sitting at 29th in the NFL by allowing 28.0 points per game (sources close to PurplePTSD were unable to confirm whether Levis’ mayonnaise cologne has anything to do with the defense).
Finally, there’s a trip to Soldier Field.
The Chicago Bears are a good football team. Weird, right? Caleb Williams is proving to be a strong option at quarterback while the defense in the Windy City is playing well. The 4-3 Bears own the 15th-best offense going into Week 9 by averaging 23.3 points per game and their defense is elite, finding itself in 4th-place due to allowing just 17 points per game.
Mr. Williams is completing 62.8% of his passes. The rookie has picked up 1,448 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Keep in mind, too, that Williams has turned 34 carries into 216 yards. He hasn’t scored a touchdown with his legs but he has picked up 12 first downs.
Going on the road for three straight weeks isn’t easy. Yes, the opening moments of the season presented some challenges due to Minnesota facing some top-notch team, but this is another hurdle that needs to be cleared.
Finishing at 2-1 over the road stretch should be considered a win, especially if a Week 9 victory precedes the three road games.
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.
