Vikings Set for High-Stakes Week 10 Battle in Jacksonville
The Minnesota Vikings are traveling to Jacksonville for another AFC South matchup following their victory over the Indianapolis Colts last weekend. These two teams head into Sunday’s matchup in completely different situations. Minnesota is in prime position for a playoff spot in the NFC and is now playing a very shaky and beat-up Jacksonville Jaguars team. The Jaguars, who are currently sitting at 2-7, are coming off of a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week Nine. The Vikings and Jaguars have only faced off seven times in their franchises’ history, but Minnesota has certainly had Jacksonville’s number as they have won six of these seven matchups.
Heading into this game, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the biggest question mark remaining. During the Jaguars’ Week Nine game, Lawrence suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, and his availability for Week 10 remains uncertain. Whoever leads the offense on Sunday will face a tough challenge against the Minnesota Vikings’ heavy blitz defense. Although the defense hasn’t been as dominant in recent weeks as it was during the first four, it remains a dangerous and aggressive unit for any quarterback to contend with. The Vikings may also finally get the return of linebacker Blake Cashman after he has been dealing with an injury for multiple weeks straight. Both of Jacksonville’s running backs were limited in practice this week, so that could be something to watch as well. The Jaguars’ offense is not at full strength, heading into a game that is a must-win for the sake of their season and, most likely, head coach Doug Peterson’s job security.
I expect this game to be somewhat of a blowout, with the Vikings winning in easy fashion. The Jaguars’ defense has consistently let up points in large quantities this season as they allow an average of 28 points to be scored against them per game. Meanwhile, the Vikings are loaded on offense, and as long as Sam Darnold can keep the turnovers under control, I expect Minnesota to put up 30+ points by the end of this matchup. I think this is just a mismatch of a game at almost every level and it will be evident to everyone watching on Sunday. I think the Vikings pull off a blowout win 37-17 and get off to a hot start on the first leg of their three-game away stretch.
