The Vikings will look for their sixth straight win when they face the Broncos on Sunday night.
The Minnesota Vikings play under the lights as they face the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. Both teams enter the game riding winning streaks as the Vikings are 6-4 with a five-game streak and the Broncos are 4-5 with a three-game streak. Here’s what you can count on…
1. One more week for Justin Jefferson
Vikings fans are as eager for Jefferson’s return as they are to open their presents from Santa Claus, but they’ll have to wait one more week for the star receiver to return from a hamstring injury.
The Vikings opened Jefferson’s 21-day practice window nearly two weeks ago as he looks to come off injured reserve but he has yet to log a full practice after suffering his injury late in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 8.
With the Vikings looking to exercise caution, Jefferson will sit out Sunday’s game against the Broncos but could be ready to return for next week’s matchup against the Chicago Bears. The latest Minnesota can activate him from IR is Nov. 29, which comes after the game against the Raiders and during the bye week so it’s possible he misses one more game.
2. The Broncos offense being anemic
The Broncos are at a high-water mark coming into Sunday’s game but it has very little to do with their offense. While Denver has won three straight, they haven’t experienced an offensive explosion with an average of 22 points over the streak.
While that number is respectable, Denver has had room for more as they have had an average starting field position of their own 43-yard line. According toThe Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, the next closest team since Week 8 has been the Baltimore Ravens, who have an average starting position of their own 34-yard line.
With a passing offense that averages 184.6 yards per game, the Broncos don’t have the explosiveness to challenge Brian Flores’s defense.
3. Pre-snap penalties for Denver
Another reason for Denver’s offensive struggles is their tendency to shoot themselves in the foot.
Kosmider pointed out that the Broncos have committed a pre-snap penalty on 3.2 percent of their offensive plays, which is the highest rate in the NFL. Their biggest issue has been false starts and has been fueled by Mike McGlinchey, whose six false starts are tied for the league lead with Carolina’s Ikem Ekwonu.
With the Broncos tied for sixth with 64 penalties this season, there’s a good chance that the Vikings will have some help slowing down Denver’s offense.
4. Attacking Denver with the run
The Vikings running game ranks 29th in the NFL with just over 85 rushing yards per game but Sunday could be a get-right game against one of the worst run defenses in the league.
