Chargers vs. Vikings Prediction, Picks, Odds Today: Can Minnesota Shake Off Its 0-2 Start?
This is the only matchup of the week between two winless teams. Can the Los Angeles Chargers finally get on the right side of a tight finish? Will the Minnesota Vikings‘ newest running back improve a terrible ground game? Take a look at the betting odds and our best bet prediction for Sunday’s game.
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Chargers vs. Vikings Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
- Spread: Vikings -1
- Moneyline: Chargers (-108); Vikings (-112)
- Over/Under: 54
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Location: U.S. Bank Stadium
- Channel: FOX
Game Prediction
This is the matchup with the highest over/under total on the board this week and with good reason. The defenses for both teams should be tested in this one. The Chargers are averaging 29.0 PPG through the first two games, while the Vikings are coming off a loss in Philadelphia in which they put 28 points on the board.
While they are 0-2, you can’t get much closer to 2-0 than the Chargers this season. They led the Dolphins at the two-minute warning in Week 1, then lost in overtime last week on the road at Tennessee. It will be interesting to see if the Chargers’ offense can handle a second straight game without running back Austin Ekeler.
Ekeler, who rushed for 117 yards against the Dolphins in Week 1, missed last week’s game with an ankle injury and is also out for this week. And without Ekeler, L.A. scored 10 fewer points last week than in the season opener, and its rushing yards dropped from 233 in Week 1 to a measly 61 against the Titans.
Speaking of rushing offenses, the Vikings are averaging a league-worst 34.5 yards per game on the ground, and they are the only team that has yet to have a run of at least 10 yards. In fairness, the Vikings haven’t exactly emphasized the ground game, with a league-low 26 rush attempts in two games.
Enter Cam Akers, who was acquired this week from the Rams. But even Akers won’t be able to improve the Vikings’ rushing attack, as he is not expected to play on Sunday.
So it will be up to quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receiver Justin Jefferson to carry most of the offensive load for Minnesota. Not that they aren’t capable. Cousins has thrown for well over 300 yards in each of the first two games, and his six TD passes are tied for most in the league with Packers QB Jordan Love.
As for Jefferson, he already has 20 receptions for a league-high 309 receiving yards. But he has yet to find the end zone, something you figure will change very soon.
If you believe that turnovers make the difference, then the edge goes to the Chargers in a major way. Los Angeles has yet to commit a turnover in its first two games, while Minnesota has been sloppy with the football, committing a league-high seven already.
This is a matchup featuring two desperate teams, with 0-3 staring one of them in the face. In terms of spread, it’s a toss-up, so I am going to take a chance and say that the absence of Ekeler and Akers from these two running games will keep the score just under the total.
Best Bet: Under on 54 points (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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