The Minnesota Vikings will battle the Houston Texans in an exciting NFL Week 5 battle.
Coming off of another impressive victory, the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings will play host to the 3-1 Houston Texans this week. Both teams have obviously played well this season, but the Vikings may be on another level from everyone.
Minnesota is led by an incredible defensive unit that has elite-level players all over the field. From Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith in the secondary, to Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks at linebacker, and Everson Griffen and Lival Joseph up front, the Vikings are absolutely loaded.
On top of that, Sam Bradford has led the Vikings’ offense well. Bradford is not putting up huge numbers, but he is playing well and not turning the ball over.
He has found a nice rapport with wide receiver Stefon Diggs and tight end Kyle Rudolph, as the Vikings have been able to do more than enough offensively to get the job done. The Vikings have been great, but the Texans have also performed well this season.
Houston put a ton of resources in improving their offense this off season. They have not exactly been an explosive offensive unit this season, but there is a ton of upside for them on that side of the ball.
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Brock Osweiler has been inconsistent through the early part of the season. He has the talent to be a high-level NFL quarterback, but he has yet to put it together on a consistent basis.
Led by DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller and Lamar Miller, the Texans have some nice weapons for Osweiler to work with. Will this be the week where it all comes together for this talented offense? It is impossible to say for sure, but I would not bet on it against this Vikings’ defense.
When the Texans have the ball, the primary matchup to watch will be Hopkins against Rhodes. The Vikings’ star cornerback is coming off of a week where he shut down Odell Beckham Jr. Hopkins is one of the most talented receivers in the game, but Rhodes will undoubtedly put up a strong fight against him.
The loss of Texans’ star defensive lineman J.J. Watt obviously hurts them on the defensive side of the ball. That being said, that unit has played well this season. The Texans’ pass defense in particular has been incredible, but their rush defense leaves plenty to be desired.
They should be able to hold Bradford in check in this game, but the Vikings will likely look to get RB Jerick McKinnon involved early and often. McKinnon is an extremely quick and elusive back who could make a huge impact in this game.
The Texans’ defense is good, but the Vikings’ offense may not have to put up many points to come away with the win.
Odds
Line: MIN -6
Over/Under: 39.5
The undefeated Vikings are obvious favorites in this game, according to Oddshark. The Texans have played well this season, but the Vikings are on a completely different level so far this season. Vegas also sees this as a low-scoring affair.
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Prediction
The Texans have the offensive weapons to make this a fun game. That being said, I have not seen anything out of Osweiler that makes me confident in his ability against a defense like this. I fully expect the Vikings’ defense to shut them down, while Bradford and company do enough against a tough Texans’ defense.
Pick: Minnesota 20, Houston 10