One of the surprises of the start of the season are the Minnesota Vikings, who, led by quarterback Sam Darnold, are one of the five NFL teams that arrive at Week 4 with a perfect 3-0 record.
The Vikings were supposed to be in trouble at quarterback, after seeing Kirk Cousins leave for the Atlanta Falcons at the start of free agency and losing rookie J.J. McCarthy for the entire season in the preseason due to a right meniscus injury.
Is Darnold the answer?
Few trusted Darnold – who was a disappointment with the New York Jets, who recruited him with the first overall pick in the 2018 Draft – but the veteran has shown that all he needed was a better coach and better talent around him. Something similar to what is happening with Baker Mayfield at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Darnold has completed 67.9% of his passes for 657 yards, with an NFL-leading 8 touchdowns, two interceptions and an impressive 117.3 rating, second only to Josh Allen (133.7).
The Vikings are the first team to allow 10 points or fewer per game and have the leader in passing touchdowns through the first three games of a season since the Green Bay Packers did it in 1996, when they were Super Bowl champions with Brett Favre at the controls.
The Purple defense has also done a remarkable job. It is second in points with an average of just 10 per game; in addition, this D has recorded 15 quarterback sacks and five interceptions, something that only four teams have achieved in the first three games of a season since 2000. The Vikings visit the Green Bay Packers this Sunday after two impressive home wins against San Francisco and Houston, two teams that played in the playoffs in the 2023 season.
In the dominant performance against the Texans, Darnold threw four touchdown passes to four different targets and Aaron Jones finished with 102 rushing yards and 5.2 yards per attempt.
Next up: Green Bay Packers
The challenge at Lambeau Field will be different, as the Packers could have Jordan Love back, after two wins with backup quarterback Malik Willis.
Green Bay operates with the fifth-best offense in the NFL, with 398.7 yards per game, and is number one in the league with 204 rushing yards.
The Vikings defense will have to focus on stopping Josh Jacobs, who leads the Packers with 278 yards and an average of 4.5 yards per attempt in three games.
With or without Jordan Love, Packers coach Matt LaFleur will test Minnesota’s run defense. This is the true test for the Vikings, in a divisional game and on the road. If they return home with a W after their visit to Lambeau Field, Minnesota will have to be considered as a contender in the NFC.
For now, I have my doubts.
Pick: Packers 23-20 Vikings
Best picks for Week 4
| Cowboys @ Giants | Giants +6 |
| Steelers @ Colts | Over 39.5 |
| Vikings @ Packers | Packers -2.5 |
| Jaguars @ Texans | Texans -6.5 |
| Saints @ Falcons | Over 42.5 |
| Rams @ Bears | Over 41.5 |
| Eagles @ Buccaneers | Under 44.5 |
| Bengals @ Panthers | Bengals -4 |
| Broncos @ Jets | Over 38.5 |
| Commanders @ Cardinals | Commanders +3 |
| Patriots @ 49ers | Under 39.5 |
| Browns @ Raiders | Raiders -2 |
| Chiefs @ Chargers | Over 39.5 |
| Bills @ Ravens | Bills +2.5 |
| Titans @ Dolphins | Dolphins -1 |
| Seahawks @ Lions | Seahawks +3.5 |
Be ready for the 2024 NFL football season with our NFL Betting Guide and follow every NFL football game with our printable NFL schedule; available for download as a spreadsheet, Google Sheet for the entire season or get every week from Week 1 through Week 18 with free picks.
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