Game Picks Week 2: Minnesota Vikings vs. Indianapolis Colts

Post not having the past week in their favor albeit having an impressive score of 11-3 straight up in their last 14 home games, the team Indianapolis Colts has returned, eager to prove their mettle against Indianapolis Vikings in the Lucas Oil Stadium, Downtown, USA. In 2008, the Lucas Oil Stadium replaced the RCA Dome which was the home stadium to the Indianapolis Colts for as many as 24 seasons from 1984 to 2007.

Even though players Jerrell Freeman and Robert Mathis helped the team start strong in their match against the Jaguars, they couldn’t manage to keep their head afloat in the second half. The Colts attribute this failure to the players both in the offense, and the defense sides. They lost with a score of 20 against team Jacksonville Jaguars’ 27 and their current line is at IND -3.5 (with an opening score of -3). 

On the other hand, the Vikings too, lost to their rival team Green Bay Packers at their home ground with a 34 against 43, after their three-point win against Jacksonville, a match in which runner back Adrian Peterson ran for two touchdowns, and had a pretty good game. Peterson hence is one of the strongest players in team Minnesota Vikings.

This is going to be Philips River’s first-ever home game as Colts’ quarterback player. Against the Vikings, he has made a total score of 1 for 3 with four touchdowns and seven interceptions. Indeed, even in three games the group lost, he has scored 17 points. Another player, Jonathan Taylor has gotten a chance to perform in this season of NFL as the team’s ex-rookie injured himself in their match at Jacksonville.

The Colts are ranked #22nd in offense and 22nd in defense whereas the Vikings are ranked #6th in offense and 32nd in defense. Out of the group's last seven games, Minnesota has hit the Over in five of them though out of the last six street games. Indianapolis was only able to hit the Over in four of the matches.

Due to minor injuries, team Vikings has had to let go of a few of its players, like Danielle Hunter. However, they remain determined to make it through the league with ease. 

Alongside cornerback player Xavier Rhodes, both Holton Hill and Mike Hughes joined team Vikings the previous week. On the other hand, Rodger managed to make four touchdown passes for 364 yards. 

One of the Vikings' ex-cornerback players, Xavier Rhodes will be on the target radar for the Vikings’ offense side. Even though they’d be targeted by the offense side of the Minnesota team and Kirk Cousins this week, the players are pretty confident with their performance and have refused to point fingers and comment on anything else.

The Jacksonville Jaguars came through with two wins in the national league after Colts’ player Rivers gave multiple opportunities to the cornerback players to perform in the last week. Rivers, by the way, has himself made as many as thirteen interceptions in his last eight games. It is said that he has been looking for turnovers,

The last time team Minnesota had to face Rivers in a season type game was in 2015. However, they have never played against Taylor, who in the first week has made as many as nine carries for twenty-two yards. In addition to this, he has also made six receptions for 67 yards. In the Wisconsin League, Taylor eclipsed two thousand yards twice and made fifty touchdowns. 

Hence, ending his Badgers’ career with over six thousand running yards. He was then drafted by the Colts during the selection in April. Rivers has gone on record and said that Taylor’s performance reminds him of that of Michael Turner, an ex-player of the team Chargers, and a LaDainian Tomlinson backup.

Concluding Analysis 

Going by the predictions, the Colts might win this match against for a 33-27 (OT). However, it might as well be a close game and end up being an overtime one. 

The NFL resuming the league despite all the challenges posed by the coronavirus health crisis itself is a big deal. Many things that have been rattled up by the pandemic are the training schedules, the overall health of the players, the stadiums are putting to take extra precautions, etc.