Minnesota Vikings News and Links:  Should The Vikings Be Underdogs?

The Vikings are still slight underdogs at home which is still kind of a surprise. I know the Texans went to the playoffs last year but this is a new year. They have added some good players in Danielle Hunter, Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon, Azeez Al-Shaair, Denico Autry, and Folorunso Fatukasi. They lost Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman, Sheldon Rankins, and Devin Singletary. We know that the Vikings did so I would only base the odds on what has transpired this season. The Texans squeaked by the Colts and beat the Bengals. They have scored 48 points while allowing 40 points. The Vikings dominated the pitiful Giants and played strong against the 49ers who many thought was one of the top teams this season. I think the oddsmakers are wrong but I like that the team is being disrespected.

I thought the 49ers game would be close last week and it looked like the Vikings had them under control but turnovers usually play a major factor in the outcome as we saw. It is going to be tough to cover Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell. If Joe Mixon is out that is a bit of a break but there are always backup running backs who do well when given the chance. Dallas Turner being out will give others more chances and the Vikings are going to need to create pressure on Stroud while at the same time not letting him escape out the pocket. I think the team should be able to move the ball against the Texans. I am hoping they run it more successfully than they did last week.

I believe the team will squeak out another victory by less than a touchdown.

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Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Vikings clear Jefferson to play but rule out Addison, Pace and Turner against Texans

Vikings QB Sam Darnold Provides Unique Test for Texans

Darnold’s performance has the Texans not underestimating his skills and abilities.

“I feel like he’s operating that offense really efficiently, really well,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “I feel like they’re philosophically similar to our defense, they don’t do a ton, they don’t do a lot of different things, but they do them well, and they kind of believe in what they are. You sort of fit into that. He’s just operating that offense, and it’s working really well, super-efficient on third-down and then running the ball well. Haven’t been giving up, taking a lot of big negative plays, those sort of things. So, I think he’s kind of at the forefront of that. Kevin [O’Connell] does a really good job with structuring the scheme. I feel like he’s been really, really good at just operating that offense, and it shows so definitely a challenge to see why they’re playing well.”

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Minnesota Vikings Keys to Victory vs Houston Texans

Brian Flores needs the best version of the Minnesota Vikings defense

“Here’s the bad news: You shouldn’t blitz C.J. Stroud. Typically, you should blitz rookie quarterbacks — and trust me, defenses have tried. But the young passer demonstrated a shocking immunity to blitzes since entering the league last year. Look at Stroud’s numbers since the start of last season when blitzed relative to his general passing numbers; the blitz hardly affected his production.”

Ben Solak on defending C.J. Stroud (ESPN)

Jalen Nailor opens up the Vikings passing attack for Justin Jefferson

Minnesota Vikings must control the ground game

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5 key matchups that will decide Sunday’s Vikings-Texans showdown

1. Brian Flores vs. C.J. Stroud

2. Nico Collins vs. Stephon Gilmore

3. Danielle Hunter vs. Brian O’Neill

4. Justin Jefferson vs. Derek Stingley Jr.

5. The Vikings vs. expectations

Let’s get a little meta for the last one on this list. The Vikings, after their win over the 49ers, are starting to get some love in the media. They’re rising up power rankings and being discussed as a possible playoff team (although some remain skeptical). It’s getting tougher for them to play up the “nobody believes in us” motivational tactic. How they handle that as a collective unit will be important this week. If they start to think for a second that they’ve arrived, the Texans will show up and punch them in the mouth on Sunday. The Vikings need to have the discipline to remain hungry and continue to prepare at a high level. With the coaching staff and player leadership they have, I don’t think that’ll be an issue.

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Texans Preparing for ‘Versatile’ Vikings Defense

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans knows that Flores is one of the best defensive minds in the NFL and that it will be a challenge to face off against the unit.

“With Brian’s defense, he presents a lot of different looks, a lot of looks that many teams don’t do, he – and they do a really good job of communicating across the board,” Ryans said. “So, you can tell, first and foremost, Brian does a great job of coaching those guys up to where they’re all working together, they’re working in sync. It may look like a lot of craziness going on, a lot of guys moving around, but they’re in sync.”

C.J. Stroud faced off against them in practice, and he knows that Flores’ scheme is putting them in a position to succeed.

“He does a great job of mixing it up,” Stroud said. “A lot of great looks to make you think twice and to get you off your game. I’m a big fan of his. He does a really great job in that whole scheme taking what they did in New England and doing its own twist to it. A lot of respect for those guys and we’ve got to be on our A game in every single way. He does a great job of mixing looks and being very versatile with putting his D-linemen in 1-1 situations and making his DBs look great in coverage, so he does a really good job.”

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Texans Coach Sees Tough Test in Vikings Game

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans got an early look at the Vikings, and he sees a challenge for his team.

“They’re coached really well,” Ryans said of the Vikings. “Their defense is playing great. I think they’ve held opponents to I think under 25 points so far. So, their defense is playing really lights out. Offensively, they played well yesterday, had big explosives. They’re playing well together. So, we’ll get further, we’ll get more into those guys as we go throughout the week. But 2-0 team and we know Minnesota is always a tough place to play. That crowd there is always – they’re always loud. They make it challenging on us from an offensive perspective. So, I already know going into it, we have to be on it with our cadence. We have to be on it with our pre-snap communication all the way across the board.”

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Vikings-Texans Week 3 score predictions from the Vikings On SI staff

Will Ragatz: Vikings 27, Texans 23

I’m going to keep rolling with O’Connell and Flores and the impressive roster the Vikings have put together. Darnold’s solid performance feels sustainable to me, even against a Texans defense with a lot of talent at all three levels. I expect another big game from Justin Jefferson, who is the best wide receiver on the planet. Stroud and the Texans will put up some points on Flores and this outstanding Vikings defense, but they’ll also turn it over once or twice and will be held to field goals on a few threatening drives. The game being in Minneapolis makes the difference here. Vikes start 3-0.

Jonathan Harrison: Texans 27, Vikings 14

Joe Nelson: Vikings 29, Texans 27

Tony Liebert: Texans 27, Vikings 17

Nolan O’Hara: Texans 27, Vikings 24

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An acrimonious departure, but Stefon Diggs should expect a warm welcome on his return to Minnesota

Stefon Diggs returns to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday for the first time since leaving the Minnesota Vikings in 2020, and despite the circumstances of his departure he should receive a warm welcome from the Vikings faithful.

Hosting Diggs for the first time since he left has led to some discussion among Vikings fans on social media as to what kind of reception he should get given the way he left the team in 2020. Does that mean boos are possible on Sunday? It’s 2024 and polarization is everywhere so you can never rule it out, but the running theme from many is that fans are grateful for the memories he created and the legacy he left.

By “legacy” we don’t just mean the Minneapolis Miracle in 2018 – perhaps the all-time great moment in Vikings history – but also the draft picks the Vikings got in return that allowed them to land Justin Jefferson in the 2020 draft, truly making it a “both sides happy” trade.

“He gave me the best sports memory of my life and we got Jets from the draft pick we got when we traded him. I’ve got absolutely zero reason to be bitter,” a fan commented on the Vikings sub-reddit this past week.

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Brian Flores to get another shot as head coach? Why many around NFL are optimistic about Vikings DC’s chances

I talked with 10 sources across the league and various teams and levels about Flores. What makes him such a good coordinator, whether he should get another opportunity to be a head coach and, more importantly, whether he actually will get another shot.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, who played for Flores for two of his three seasons in Miami, said on Prime Video that Tagovailoa’s experience was not his experience.

“Look, there is a certain style that Flo coached with. For me, he coached me differently than he coached Tua. The intention of what Flo did was to try to get the best out of Tua,” Fitzpatrick said earlier this month. “When you put the coaching style that he had with Brian Flores and you put it next to what Mike McDaniel came and did, which is love him up and tell me how great he was, then it probably made it seem like it was even worse than maybe it was at that time.”

One high-ranking NFC executive told me: “He’s a good coach. Whether he’s learned from Miami power struggle/behavior would be key. The Tua stuff will be tough for him.”

Asked if Flores could overcome Tagovailoa’s comments, another high-ranking executive with a different team said: “In time. His humble initial response to it was good.”

An NFL evaluator who has known Flores for several years said he was sure Flores coached Tagovailoa hard, but found the “terrible person” comment to be “way out of bounds.”

“After meeting with a lot of coaches and front-office personnel and self-reflecting, he has a much better understanding of how players and people in general are wired now,” the source said. “He has a better pulse on how to handle players from a mental standpoint. He will treat them all fairly, but he understands he can’t coach everyone the same way. He won’t make that mistake again.”

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Jonathan Greenard’s Baby Step & Leap Year Led Former Texan to Vikings

A precious moment sparked Jonathan Greenard’s breakout season.

The Vikings outside linebacker compiled career highs in every imaginable category with the Texans in 2023: sacks (12.5), tackles for a loss (15), quarterback hits (22), tackles (52), pressures (53), snaps (632) and so forth.

He attributes his emergence to a perfect storm of circumstances.

“My wife was pregnant with my daughter. I was going into Year 4. I was coming off an injury the season before, so I had a lot to look forward to,” Greenard explained. “I wanted to prove myself.”

He played at Jacksonville and recorded three tackles on 43 snaps as the Texans won 37-17 to begin turning around an 0-2 start. He then rushed back to Houston on “the craziest day, honestly, of my life,” to meet his baby girl Rayna – two wins he said he’ll remember forever.

“They could’ve easily told me to find my own way back,” he gratefully conveyed of the Texans efforts. “But they took it upon themselves to let me go back home after the game, immediately, and I got there probably 2-3 minutes after my daughter was born.”

In his farewell to Houston on Instagram, Greenard thanked the McNair family, the Texans owners, for their urgency.

“When that child comes into the world it’s all about her,” Greenard expressed.

“I was doing it for us [originally],” he championed Alta’s support dating to when they met. “She’s a trooper through everything. Just knowing how she’s had my back from the jump. Even back in college when she didn’t even know what type of player I was going to be at all.

“People always wonder where’s my motivation going to go or where I’m going to get it from,” Greenard said, loudly clapping his hands once to emphasize his point. “I wake up and see it every morning.”

Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores has amplified Greenard’s ability to generate pressure. Pro Football Focus credited Greenard with 12 quarterback pressures so far this season, which is tied for sixth in the NFL. The only players with more entering Week 3 are Aidan Hutchinson (17), Boye Mafe (15), Micah Parsons (14), Chris Jones (13) and Zach Allen (13).

“I don’t think there’s any limit for him,” Vikings inside linebacker Blake Cashman contended. “He’s going to have the freedom to use his raw talent and skills to put himself in the best position to make a play.”

Cashman credited Greenard’s ability to detect when an offensive lineman is “going to set soft or when he’s going to jump you.” Initially, he’ll utilize his length and strength “then kill you with [a countermove].”

“I believe he’s going to take that next step and be able to build off the great year he had last year,” Cashman continued. “It’s going to be great for him and going to be really sweet for this football team.”

“In my eyes I just feel like I haven’t done enough,” Greenard said. “I feel like I can always do more. … And this team allows me to do that, [to] be confident in myself, and not hold anything back and just play ball.

“That was one of the main reasons why I came here,” shared Greenard, referencing the culture that Flores and Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell have integrated – it fosters a sense of self; of freedom.

“Your motor never fails you,” Greenard underlined hustle’s rank atop his personal keys to rushing the passer. “My moves, I’ve always tried to continue to patent them and perfect those moves in practice – some of them don’t work; a lot of them don’t work. But at the same time, effort will never betray you.

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Yore Mock

Trade Partner: Broncos

Sent: Pick 14

Received: Pick 35, Pick 67, Pick 100, 2026 DEN 2nd, 2026 DEN 3rd

…

Trade Partner: Browns

Sent: Pick 100

Received: Pick 110, Pick 187 Jonah Monheim

…

Trade Partner: Bengals

Sent: Pick 142, 2026 MIN 7th

Received: Pick 151, Pick 182

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35. Jonah Savaiinaea OT Arizona 6’5” 336

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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67. Nick Emmanwori S South Carolina 6’3” 227

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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110. Danny Stutsman LB Oklahoma 6’4” 243

Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

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143. Joshua Farmer DT Florida State 6’3” 318

Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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151. Kolbey Taylor CB Vanderbilt 6’3” 190

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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182. Davin Vann DT NC State 6’2” 280

Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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187. Emmanuel Pregnon OG USC 6’5” 320

Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images

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