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The second non-stateside game of the 2024 season finds the New York Jets (2-2) opposing the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Sunday morning (ET).
Game time is 9:30 AM (again, ET).
A sloppy 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos at the Meadowlands last Sunday ought to- have Gang Gang thrilled to seek asylum in another country. Denver finished with 186 yards of offense, then had to withstand a late Jets’ missed field goal to escape with a win,
It wasn’t as New York scorched the stat sheet, either, 248 yards in the rain. Breece Hall and Braelon Allen didn’t finish with three yards a carry as the Jets had just 64 ground yards.
The lone undefeated team in the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings joins the 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. While two-time defending champion KC was supposed to be one of the elites, what has happened in the Twin Cities?
Supposedly basement fodder in the NFC North, Minnesota has ridden ‘reject’ quarterback Sam Darnold to its remarkable start this season. Darnold, lest one forget, was a first-round choice (third overall) of the Jets back in 2018.
They’re two of the stingiest defenses to date, ranking fourth (Vikings, 14.8 surrendered points per game) and fifth (Jets, 15½ points/game), respectively.
Minnesota is a scant, one-point favorite (total at 40½), according to NFL odds.
New York leads the all-time series, 8-4, though the Purple Men have won the last three.
Own Worst Enemy
Playing at home, albeit in less-than-ideal conditions, the New York Jets committed an unholy 13 penalties (90 yards) in the aforementioned 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday.
Many infractions were before the play (five false starts)..
“We are using it every day in practice," quaterback Aaron Rodgers said of the rhythm of the offense. "We rarely have a false start, and to have five. Yeah, it seems like an outlier. I don’t know if we need to make mass changes based on a kind of an outlier game.”
A bad week in London could force some changes, but the Green of Gotham has a lot to fix.
Rodgers (849 passing yards, five touchdowns, one interception) has been efficient (and healthy) if not spectacular this season.
He’s no stranger to opposing Minny (17-11-1 against the Vikings in his career).
Darnold’s Fearsome Foursome
Through the first four games of 2024, ex-Jet (three seasons) quarterback Sam Darnold has a league-leading 11 touchdowns (three interceptions). He also set the franchise record by becoming the first Vike quarterback to open a season with a passer rating of at least 100 in four consecutive games.
Darnold, having made additional stops with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, was thought to be nothing more than insurance behind Michigan rookie J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy’s torn meniscus in preseason meant the job went to Darnold.
Darnold and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (league-leader in touchdown catches with four) has become as potent as any combination in the NFL.
It’s not as if the Vikings have played complete games each week, evidenced by turning a 28-0 lead into a 31-29 nailbiter against the Packers in Green Bay last Sunday.
"I think you have to have that mindset," Darnold said about the near meltdown. "You can’t think about what might happen or what has happened. You always have to continue to have that mindset of one step in front of the other, one foot in front of the other. As long as we continue to have that mindset as an offense, as a whole team, I feel like we'll be alright."
T-A-K-E the J-E-T-S
It’s the Vikings at 13-2 (+650) to win the NFC and the Jets 10-1 (+1000) to win the AFC, as per NFL conference odds.
While the Minnesota Vikings have played complementary football through the season, there’s a noticeable flaw, however.
A league-worst 274.3 surrendered passing yards per game, despite defensive coordinator Brian Flores manipulating coverages.
If the Jets can get on the same page and run something resembling an efficient offense against the Vikings, then the defense can do its thing.
Admittedly not with a ton of confidence, take the Jets and the point overseas over the Vikings.
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