Philip Rivers will have to wait for at least until Sunday to get his first win with the Indianapolis Colts. The team now prepares for the also winless Minnesota Vikings, who will look to recover from the beating it sustained at the hands of Aaron Rodgers and company in Week 1. Read on for more about this Vikings-Colts Week 2 matchup.
The Vikings lost to the Green Bay Packers at home last Sunday, 43-34, in a game that exposed Minnesota’s defense right out of the gate. Expected to be among the best in 2020, especially after Minnesota signed Yannick Ngakoue in the offseason, the Vikings’ stop unit failed to impress in the Packers game, as Aaron Rodgers did and got what he wanted on the field. Ngakoue barely made his presence felt in his Vikings debut, but the season is still early, and he could bounce back in Week 2 against the Colts. What shined for Minnesota was its rushing game, particularly Dalvin Cook, who had 50 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. Maybe the Vikings have to feed the ball more to Cook. The Vikings have to find a middle ground on their offense still, as Adam Thielen looked fantastic as well in the season opener, finishing with 110 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. With how Gardner Minshew sliced and diced Indianapolis’ defense last Sunday, Viking quarterback Kirk Cousins should feel encouraged about his chances to do the same this week. Cousins went 19 for 25 for 259 passing yards with two touchdowns and an interception against Green Bay.
The under is 2-0 in the Vikings’ last two games on the road.
The Colts were among those considered as the best picks to win in Week 1, as they were only up against the Jacksonville Jaguars who unloaded key talents in the offseason. But the Colts seemed they underestimated the powers of Gardner Minshew’s mustache, as Indianapolis absorbed a 27-20 road loss in Philip Rivers’ debut for the team. The former LA Chargers quarterback completed 36 of 46 passes for 363 yards and a touchdown but also got picked twice. The Colts head into Week 2 knowing that they may have just lost Marlon Mack for the rest of the season — or at least for several games — as the running back suffered a torn Achilles in the Jags game. However, the Colts seem to be capable of handling such a loss, as they still have rookie Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines. Taylor should now be the lead back for the Colts, while Hines will have an increased role going forward. Taylor and Hines can look forward to abusing Minnesota’s defense that allowed 158 rushing yards to the Packers in Week 1. On defense, the Colts will look to bring the pressure to Cousins. The Colts sacked Minshew four times, with Denico Autry accounting for two of those quarterback takedowns.
