The Minnesota Vikings will host the Houston Texans in an NFL Week 5 battle.
As part of the early Sunday games in Week 5, the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings will host the 3-1 Houston Texans this week. The Vikings have been rolling on all cylinders this season, and will face another tough test this week.
Minnesota is led by their incredible defensive unit that has seemingly been shutting down everybody. The Vikings have elite-level talent all across their defensive unit and they have all been playing extremely well.
Brock Osweiler and the Texans come into this game at 3-1, but they have not been as impressive as Minnesota. Osweiler has been decent for the Texans, but their offensive attack leaves plenty to be desired.
With DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller on the outside, and Lamar Miller in the backfield, the Texans should be an explosive offense. However, they have been inconsistent. Expecting them to breakthrough against the Vikings’ defense is tough.
Shutting down Hopkins is the key to stopping the Texans’ offense. Using an incredible combination of size and athleticism, Hopkins is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
The Vikings will likely match cornerback Xavier Rhodes on Hopkins in this one. Rhodes is a big and physical corner who is fresh off of a game where he shut down Odell Beckham Jr. The Rhodes versus Hopkins matchup will undoubtedly be an important one to watch in this game.
Sam Bradford has played well at quarterback for the Vikings this season. He has not been an MVP caliber player, but he is certainly getting the job done. With their incredible defense having his back, Bradford does not need to win the game for the Vikings. Simply playing well by not making mistakes is good enough.
Bradford has quickly found a rapport with Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs and tight end Kyle Rudolph. Both Diggs and Rudolph should get a ton of attention from the Texans’ defense in this game.
The Texans’ defensive unit has been great against the pass this season. That being said, they have struggled to stop the run. Expect the Vikings to look to get dynamic running back Jerick McKinnon going in this game.
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McKinnon played well against the Giants last week and could be in for a big Week 5 performance.
This matchup between possible Superbowl contenders will be televised live on CBS, but you can also catch every snap live via an online stream with a DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket subscription.
TV: CBS
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Online: NFL Sunday Ticket MAX (subscription required)
Mobile: Verizon NFL Mobile (subscription required)
This should be an extremely fun matchup between two strong teams. Who will come out on top? Be sure to watch this one live to find out.