3 Bold Predictions for Vikings vs. Colts on Sunday Night Football

After their sixth 5-0 start in the last 27 seasons, the Minnesota Vikings have since suffered two straight losses, first to the Detroit Lions in Week 7 and then to the Los Angeles Rams four days later. Thursday Night Football to start week 8.

With a mini-bye, Kevin O’Connell’s team should be well rested heading into Week 9 and will look to get back on track for a second straight primetime game as they set to host the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday Night Football.

The last time these two teams met was, of course, December 2022, in a game in which the Vikings fell behind 33–0 before making the greatest comeback in NFL history and ultimately coming away with a 39– 36 in overtime.

Both teams look a little different this time around, especially at the quarterback position. The duel that day at US Bank Stadium was between Kirk Cousins, who now plays for the Atlanta Falcons, and Matt Ryan, who is now retired.

Just a week ago, it looked like the QB battle on Sunday would be between Sam Darnold and Anthony Richardson. However, just like two years ago, the Vikings will be facing a veteran signal-caller as the Colts benched Richardson in favor of 39-year-old Joe Flacco, who we’ll talk about in a moment.

Before we get to the passing game, however, let’s focus on the ground as we think Aaron Jones is in for a big day. And that’s where we’ll begin our Week 9 Minnesota-Indy predictions.

Aaron Jones has had a successful season, leading Minnesota with 728 yards from scrimmage, which ranks 10th among all players, seven of whom have played more games.

Even with hip and hamstring issues, the former Packer gained 501 yards and touchdowns on the ground, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and added 227 yards and a touchdown on 22 catches.

And while Jones will likely increase his receiving numbers, we see him doing most of his damage for Indianapolis on the ground.

Through their first eight games, the Colts have allowed 151.9 yards per game, which ranks third in the NFL. Only the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers have conceded more, each conceding 154.6 per game.

Simply put, Jones is going to a feast. He topped 100 yards on the ground just once this season, rushing for 102 yards on 19 carries in the Vikings’ Week 3 win over the Houston Texans. But he’s poised to reach the century mark for a second time, and don’t be surprised if it turns out to be his biggest score all season. We require a minimum of 125 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night.

While TJ Hockenson remains listed as questionable, all signs point to the two-time Pro Bowl tight end taking the field for the first time in 315 days on Sunday.

Hockenson, of course, spent those 315 days recovering from a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, which he suffered on Christmas Eve in the last time out against the Lions.

Some had hoped he would return to face Detroit in Week 7 or Los Angeles in Week 8, but O’Connell took the cautious route and used his entire 21-day training window before officially activating him last Friday.

Hockenson claims he is “bigger, stronger and faster than ever.” And even if that’s not entirely true, simply putting him back in the game will do nothing but help Minnesota’s offense in both the running game (he’s a great blocker) and the passing game.

Before his injury last season, the Iowa graduate set career highs in receptions (95) and receiving yards (960) and fell short of his career best in touchdowns, finding the end zone five times.

And on a final note, we see him get into the end zone against the Colts on Sunday night. O’Connell will likely work gradually, but Hockenson will likely still see a decent number of snaps, including several in the red zone, where he is as dangerous as any tight end in the league.

The bet is that Sam Darnold will look for it near the goal line, where the Vikings should have been several times throughout the game.

With Flacco under center in Indianapolis instead of Richardson, you would think the Colts would have a more potent offensive attack.

But that might be the case either way, as Minnesota’s defense has been fantastic against the run, allowing just 83.9 yards per game, third-highest in the NFL behind only the Baltimore Ravens (69.9) and Kansas City Chiefs (82.3). .

On the other hand, the Vikings rank third in passing yards per game, giving up an average of 263.0. So, again, Flacco will most likely air this.

But here’s the thing. The Vikings were able to offset some of the damage done through the air with a league-best 12 interceptions, one of the reasons they gave up the ninth-most points per game in the league.

And we think at least two will be added to that number on Sunday night. To his credit, Flacco has thrown just one pick in his three games this year (we’re not counting his one game last week), which was against the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago.

But in six games for the Cleveland Browns last season, including a postseason loss to Houston, the veteran scored at least one goal in each of them. And in half of them he threw two or more. So, he has a tendency to turn the ball over. And given the number of passing attempts he’ll likely rack up on Sunday, Minnesota’s secondary will have plenty of chances to get the football.

From an overall standpoint, Minnesota is the better team here and should be able to end their losing streak. We’re asking for a double-digit margin here and the Vikings will ultimately win 27-17.