Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings: Game preview and prediction
By Nick Ellis
Game Preview
The Minnesota Vikings are going to try and do the same thing that they try and do against everyone; run the football. The Raiders have held both teams they played to under 100 rushing yards, but the Vikings are a different challenge.
Dalvin Cook leads the NFL in rushing yards this season with 265 yards in his first two games. When Dalvin Cook is on, the Vikings offense is on. On the other hand, when the Raiders are feeding Josh Jacobs is when the Raiders offense has been at its best this season.
Josh Jacobs ranks in the top five in rushing yards this season with 184 yards in his first two career games. The Vikings have a solid defense, but they did allow Aaron Jones to rush for over 100 yards last week, so expect Jacobs to get the ball early and often in this game.
The Raiders and Vikings have not had much success throwing the football this season, as both Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr have thrown for two touchdowns and two interceptions this seasons. Both QBs have had games where they look like franchise quarterbacks, and games where their talent and decision making is in question.
Although the Raiders and Vikings have similarities on offense, their defenses could not be any different. The Raiders have improved at every position on defense this off season, but the Chiefs proved that they still have a lot of work to do.
The Vikings, on the other hand, are loaded on defense, holding the Falcons to just 12 points, forcing Matt Ryan to make bad decisions and get frustrated. Both of these defenses will look to stop the run and force the opposing teams quarterback to win the game.