LAS VEGAS — The Minnesota Vikings head to Las Vegas on Sunday to take on the Raiders, in hopes of putting a tourniquet on their two-game losing streak before their playoff hopes bleed out.
The bye week came at just the right time for the Vikings. Having lost close games to the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears, they needed a break to reset before entering the most crucial stretch of their season.
At 6-6, the Vikings are in playoff position. But their remaining schedule features three NFC North games, two against the division-leading Detroit Lions and one against the Green Bay Packers, who are also fighting for a playoff spot and look much improved from the last time the Vikings played them.
Before they get there, though, they have the Raiders on Sunday. Las Vegas has gone 2-2 since firing head coach Josh McDaniels and elevating Antonio Pierce in the interim. They’ve also turned to rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who has completed 63.5% of his passes for 1,194 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions across six games. Overall, the Raiders’ offense ranks 28th in EPA/play, per Sumer Sports, while their defense ranks 19th. The Vikings’ offense and defense rank 16th and eighth in that metric, respectively.
After a disastrous outing against the Bears — and a less than inspiring one before that against the Broncos — the Vikings are sticking with Joshua Dobbs at quarterback. His backups — rookie Jaren Hall and veteran Nick Mullens — are both healthy, but head coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday the Vikings are “very confident in [Dobbs].” O’Connell, however, neglected to commit to Dobbs for the rest of the season.
Dobbs will get a boost from the return of Justin Jefferson, who hasn’t played since suffering a hamstring injury in early October in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Jefferson was on a record-setting pace before his injury, and the Vikings have been cautious with his return. His return should be the match that reignites the Vikings’ smoldering offense.
On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has his unit playing as well as it has all season. Despite losing to the Bears, the Vikings didn’t allow a touchdown and forced two fumbles in the fourth quarter to give the offense a chance to pull ahead. During their five-game winning streak and two-game losing streak, the defense has forced 13 turnovers and allowed just 16.9 points per game.
Sunday’s game kicks off at 3:05 p.m. Follow the action below.
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