Los Angeles Chargers vs. Minnesota Vikings Prediction: Cousins Leads Vikes into SoFi Against Herbert, Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Minnesota Vikings Prediction: Cousins Leads Vikes into SoFi Against Herbert, Chargers
Chargers vs. Vikings
- Point Spread: Chargers -3
- Total: 53.5
- Start Time: 4:05 PM ET
- Venue: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
- Where to Watch: FOX
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Minnesota Vikings Prediction
The Chargers and the Vikings will battle this Sunday from the new and beautiful So Fi Stadium. The Chargers come into this football game as a three-point favorite at home as they come off a much-needed road victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Vikings, meanwhile, come off a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The theme for the first half of the season for the Vikings was just that, heartbreak. The Vikings find themselves in a tough spot at this stage of the year, racking up a 3-5 record to this point. The Vikings have lost five times, but each of those games have been one-possession football games.The Vikings have been competitive in every game this season, and their record could very easily be flipped to 5-3, or even better.
The Chargers come into this game sporting a 5-3 record, which is good for best in the AFC West. The young gunslinger Justin Herbert has been outstanding this season for the Chargers, leading them to first place at the season's midpoint. The second half of the season will tell the tale, but Herbert has been excellent thus far.
This game Sunday will be a massive game for both of these teams' fate. On Sunday, the pick I am looking at will be the dog, the Minnesota Vikings. I understand they have not been a great team to back and have had issues closing some football games. But in this spot on Sunday, I believe the line is telling the tale as the Chargers are only three-point favorites.
The thing with backing the Chargers at home is they do not have much of a true” home field” advantage. For most of their games, the opposing team’s crowd has made more of an impact than anything this season. I love Justin Herbert and think he will be able to do his thing, but the thing I can not trust is the Chargers' run defense.
The Chargers allow the most yards in the NFL per game in the rushing department as they give up a league-worst 161.6 yards on the ground per game. The next closest team in rushing yards allowed is the Houston Texans, allowing 136.9, nearly thirty yards less.
This game style will play right into the Vikings' hands as they feature one of the best one-two punches in the NFL in Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. The Vikings rank as the ninth-best rushing offense in the NFL, and I believe this will also open up Kirk Cousins’ ability in this game to use the play-action to his advantage and take some deep shots to his dynamic wide receivers.
I think the Vikings' defense can be good enough in this game to give their offense a shot, and the Vikings' run game will allow them to control the pace. I am riding the road dog here in the Minnesota Vikings and believe they win this football game outright.