VIKINGS at PANTHERS
Take: VIKINGS +7
This Sunday’s NFL slate is a little on the short side in terms of featuring true heavyweight battles, but the Vikings-Panthers battle certainly qualifies on that count. Minnesota hits the road 2-0, while the defending NFL champs got back in the win column in a big way last Sunday after dropping their opener at Denver in very tough fashion.
The big story here is that Minnesota will have to get things done for the next several weeks without the services of running back Adrian Peterson. With QB Teddy Bridgewater already lost for the season, the Vikings have clearly absorbed a couple of major hits.
Fact is, this Minnesota offense is not in very good shape right now. In addition to Bridgwater and Peterson, they are also now minus left tackle Matt Kalil and the offensive line has been pretty shaky in the first two games. The Vikes are averaging less than two yards per carry and QB Sam Bradford was introduced to Green Bay defenders on a far too frequent up close and personal basis last week.
But the Minnesota defense is another story entirely. The Vikings are going to be a defense-first squad this season, and they look terrific on that side of the ball. There’s no question the stop unit will have to be sharp for the Vikes to have a chance at the upset today, but I think they’re up to the task.
Is Carolina back on track after smashing the 49ers? This team was a monster at home last season, and there put 46 on the scoreboard last Sunday in thumping San Francisco. But the Panthers were also very sloppy with four turnovers, and they were facing one of the weaker teams in the league in what I thought was a very favorable scheduling scenario. In other words, I’m not convinced this team is back to being a wrecking machine just yet.
I’m a Mike Zimmer believer, and while it’s not a great scheduling situation for the Vikings, I’m also not about to simply write this team off. I see the Vikes approaching this as a huge proving ground game as they’re a team with some very lofty goals this season. I don’t think Minnesota has enough to score the outright upset at Carolina. But I can certainly see them hanging tough with that dominating defense. If the offense avoids costly turnovers, we could end up with this being a fierce battle that gets decided late. I’ll take the touchdown with the Vikings for today’s free NFL play.