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The Minnesota Vikings (2-1) are moving into unprecedented territory in Week 4 and 5 when they play consecutive games on European soil. No NFL team has ever played overseas games in back-t0-back weeks.
The Vikings have a huge overseas following and that’s one of the reasons that owner Zygi Wilf agreed to send his team across the Atlantic Ocean for consecutive games. The appearance of the Vikings in Dublin against the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) and in London for their Week 5 game against the Cleveland Browns will increase the team’s popularity, but how will it impact the team on the field the rest of the season?
That’s one of the issues that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell will have to deal with in the weeks ahead.
Playing overseas has not been a problem for the Vikings in the past. They defeated the New York Jets in London last year by a 23-17 score and they are undefeated in 8 overseas games (4 regular season and 4 preseason). They are 2.5-point favorites over the Steelers to remain unblemished in their European excursions.
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Here are 3 bold predictions for the Vikings in their Week 4 game against the Steelers.
The Vikings are playing without starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy for the next several weeks because of his high ankle sprain. Carson Wentz was victorious in his first start as the Vikings trounced the Cincinnati Bengals 48-10 in Week 3.
The Vikings got a huge assist in the game from a defense that pulverized the Bengals and saw Isaiah Rodgers return an interception and a fumble for first-half touchdowns.
Those defensive scores helped make the game a blowout, but Wentz looked solid throughout. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. While he has been with the team for just a short period of time, the veteran quarterback understands his responsibilities and is gaining more knowledge of the Vikings playbook on and every-day basis.
It helps that he gets to work with O’Connell, who is very likely the game’s best quarterback coach. Wentz is motivated to show that he can get back to an elite level and he should have that opportunity at least until McCarthy is healthy enough to return to the lineup.
The Steelers play a hard-hitting and physical game, and they will attempt to put pressure on Wentz. However, he will deliver quick passes to superstar wideout Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson. That will allow the Vikings to dictate the pace of the game.
The Steelers decided to bring in Aaron Rodgers and give him a chance to make the Steelers a team that can contend in the AFC.
Rodgers has performed adequately to this point in the season, completing 56 of 86 passes for...
