The Minnesota Vikings and the Las Vegas Raiders are on a collision course this Sunday, with the Vikings looking to take off the right foot in the 2022 NFL preseason with a road win. With that said, here are three big predictions for the Vikings in this Week 1 preseason showdown in Las Vegas.
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Vikings Preseason Week 1 Predictions
4. Justin Jefferson appears for a few snaps, and takes one to the house for a 50+ yard touchdown
The Vikings wide receiver is on a mission this year to prove he is the best in his position in the NFL. What’s a whole lot clearer, however, is that he is the best offensive weapon of the Vikings. There are a bunch of reasons for Minnesota to feel overly optimistic about Jefferson in the upcoming 2022 NFL season, and that includes the arrival of Kevin O’Connell as the team’s newest head coach. O’Connell is expected to breathe more life into the already talented offense of Minnesota, especially after helping the Los Angeles Rams go all the way and win the Super Bowl in the 2021 NFL season.
That year, the Rams had one of the best offenses in the league, and it was in that offense that Cooper Kupp truly became a superstar. That’s what Jefferson is aiming for in 2022 under O’Connell, and what could be a more perfect offseason setting for him to show that he’s on his way to a much more explosive campaign than the preseason. The Vikings don’t have to feature Jefferson heavily and/or play Kirk Cousins in this glorified exhibition game, but a few snaps should be enough for the former LSU Tigers star to make that one huge play that can send shivers down the spine of cornerbacks and defensive coordinators across the league. In his first two seasons in the NFL, Jefferson has already accumulated 3,016 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in 33 games.
3. Minnesota rushes for at least 150 yards
Sure, the Vikings are going to be a pass-happy team under O’Connell, but it should not also be forgotten that Minnesota has one of the deepest running back rooms in the NFL. With a backfield that still has the ever-dangerous Dalvin Cook and arguably the best running back handcuff in the league in the form of Alexander Mattison, the Vikings will always have the ground attack to hurt opposing defenses.
Minnesota is very unlikely to risk Cook’s frustratingly brittle body in the preseason and Mattison might see a few snaps here and there against the Raiders, but with a retooled offensive line that received a boost with some veteran additions (signing Chris Reed and Jesse Davis) in the offseason and a young stud at right guard in Ed Ingram, Vikings running backs can make loud noises on the ground this coming Sunday.
Last season, the Vikings burned rubber for just 113.5 yards per game, which was just 17th in the NFL, but the Raiders were not particularly great either against the run, allowing 112.6 rushing yards and 1.0 rushing scores per contest. Las Vegas also held the Jacksonville Jaguars down to only 59 rushing yards, but the Jags were forced to depart the run game early too because they got quickly buried in a big deficit.
2. Cameron Dantzler and Andrew Booth Jr. come away with an interception each
Dantzler is on top of the Vikings’ depth chart in the right cornerback position, but he still faces stiff competition from rookie Andrew Booth Jr, whose play in the training camp is constantly getting glowing reviews.
In one of the best plays in Minnesota’s camp, Booth made a spectacular pick off a Kirk Cousins throw.
Via Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated:
“Booth, the Vikings' second-round pick out of Clemson, was limited in the spring while recovering from offseason sports hernia surgery. He's now fully healthy and is already showing what he can do. Booth had the biggest highlight of practice when he slid underneath a low Kirk Cousins throw intended for Justin Jefferson in 11-on-11s, securing the interception and popping up to return it with all of his defensive teammates celebrating alongside him.”
With Dantzler looking to fend off the rookie, who definitely has the burning desire to be a starter right away in the NFL, expect both Dantzler and Booth to continue their dogfight in the preseason. It’s a great thing to see for the Vikings, who have a young cast of secondary players led by a future Hall of Famer in Patrick Peterson, as they look to better their faulty pass defense in 2021 that got burned for 252.9 yards per game.
1. Vikings comfortably cover the spread
The Vikings are currently 3.5-point underdogs for this upcoming date with the Raiders. Unlike Las Vegas, the Vikings have yet to play a game in the preseason and are also the road team in this matchup. However, the Vikings have cashed in for their bettors more often than not over the past several seasons, particularly as visitors. In fact, dating back to 2015, the Vikings have covered the spread in seven of their last 10 preseason games away from home.
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