The Minnesota Vikings Week 6 matchup against the Miami Dolphins has a number of interesting angles to it. The Vikings survived a scare from the Chicago Bears last week. They build an early 21-3 lead, only to see the Bears storm back for a 22-21 lead in the second half. Thankfully for Minnesota and Vikings fans, Kirk Cousins led the game-winning scoring drive for a 29-22 victory. The win improved the Vikings record to 4-1. They sit atop the NFC North, a game ahead of the Green Bay Packers, with whom they have already beaten.
Now the Vikings hit the road to face a talented, albeit banged up Miami Dolphins team. Things have kind of gone sideways for Miami after losing Tua Tagovailoa a couple of weeks ago. Tagovailoa is still in the league’s concussion protocol and appears unlikely to play this week. His backup, Teddy Bridgewater, left last week’s game against the New York Jets with a head injury as well. That left them turning to rookie QB Skylar Thompson. Thompson struggled, completing just 19 of 33 passes for 166 yards and an interception. All signs point to him starting again this week, which gives the Vikings a large advantage.
With that in mind, let’s get to the Vikings Week 6 predictions vs. the Dolphins.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
4. Dolphins turn the ball over 2+ times
As I mentioned above, the Dolphins are likely starting Thompson at quarterback. The rookie out of Kansas State was taken by Miami in the 7th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He is a project that was not expected to be playing this early in his career. But Miami does not really have many other options.
The Dolphins have done a decent job this year limiting turnovers. They have only turned the ball over six times in five games. But most of that was with Tagovailoa at the helm. The Vikings should be able to score points in this matchup. That will force Thompson to have to air it out a bit.
All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was held to just 47 receiving yards by the Jets defense, might not even play. He is currently on the positive side of questionable. But even if he suits up, with Thompson throwing passes, it severely hampers his ability to impact the game.
Look for the Vikings defense to play very well and create at least two turnovers Sunday.
3. Dalvin Cook rushes for 100+ yards, touchdown
The Miami Dolphins rush defense has quietly performed very well this season. Prior to Breece Hall rushing for 97 yards last week, Miami had held the Patriots, Ravens, Bills and Bengals ground games to next to nothing. Yes, the Ravens rushed for 155 yards, but 117 of that was Lamar Jackson. Kirk Cousins obviously is not doing that.
I could see Dalvin Cook struggling to find holes early in this game. But as he typically does, he wears on you. Cook is one of the better second half running backs in the NFL. His bruising running style lends itself to this. The Vikings should hold a lead for much of this game. That will allow plenty of opportunities for Cook to wear them down.
He also has the added motivation of playing in his hometown for the first time since turning pro.
Look for the Vikings tailback to rush for over 100 yards and a touchdown.
2. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson catches down, still goes over 100 yards
Through five weeks, Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson leads the NFL with 547 yards receiving. What makes that truly remarkable is the fact that in Weeks 2 and 3, he had 62 yards combined. His other three weeks, 184, 147 and 154 yards receiving respectively.
This week, Jefferson will face a struggling Dolphins secondary. They rank 28th in the NFL, allowing 276.8 passing yards per game. Their top cornerback, Xavien Howard, is questionable to play with a groin injury. He said on Wednesday that he should be able to play. But even if he does, he has allowed a number of big plays this year.
Howard is good enough to limit Jefferson’s volume. I would not be surprised to see Jefferson in the 5-7 catch range. But a couple of those will be downfield. That should allow for another 100+ yard game for the Pro Bowl receiver.
1. Vikings beat the Dolphins going away
The writing is on the wall for Minnesota. The NFC North is ripe for the picking. The Packers look like a shell of themselves. The Vikings know they cannot let what happened last week happen again. There is no reason this team should lose to Skylar Thompson and the Dolphins. It might be close near halftime but as this game wears on, Cook will start running downhill and the Vikings should pull away.
Follow Us
Subscribe
