Minnesota Vikings bold predictions for Week 3 vs. Texans

Vikings hope to continue hot start as Texans come calling in Week 3

The Minnesota Vikings strive to continue their hot start to the season in their Week 3 home game against the Houston Texans. After registering season-opening wins against the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, head coach Kevin O'Connell's players have a boat load of confidence.

It was widely assumed and predicted just two weeks ago that the Vikings would be bringing up the rear in the NFC North. They are in first place in the division as they prepare for the Texans.

There is little doubt that it is still early in the NFL season and starting the year with a pair of victories — even if one of them came against the NFC favorites  — doesn't guarantee it will continue. The Vikings are in the midst of a seriously challenging stretch in the early part of the season.

They face the Texans in Week 3, the Packers on the road in Week 4 and the Jets in London in Week 5 before hitting their bye week. The Vikings are likely to be supported well when they play overseas because they are undefeated when playing out of the country and they are extremely popular in England. The expectations for the season will become far more realistic at that point.

Through the first two games, quarterback Sam Darnold has opened eyes with his overall play and his passing accuracy, Justin Jefferson has flashed his immense talent and the Vikings defense has excelled with its versatility and unpredictability. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores delivered significant improvement during his first season with the team last year, and his defensive unit appears significantly better in 2024.

Sam Darnold will find some holes to exploit in the Texans pass defense

The Vikings signed Sam Darnold in the offseason shortly after Kirk Cousins left the team and joined the Atlanta Falcons. Darnold appeared to be the team's fill-in quarterback because general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the team's top first-round pick.

The belief was that McCarthy would take over the starting role as soon as O'Connell saw that he was ready for the responsibility. McCarthy looked very good in the team's first preseason game, but he also suffered a torn meniscus that required season-ending surgery after making his positive first impression. That clearly cemented Darnold's status as the team's QB1.

Prior to joining the Vikings, Darnold had played with three other NFL teams and his career had been a struggle. While he had several good games, there was a lack of consistency to his performance and also a fairly significant injury history.

Darnold has been impressive in his first two games with the Vikings, completing 72 percent of his passes while throwing for 476 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

One of his TD passes was a 97-yarder to Jefferson, and that play could be the indicator that the All-Pro receiver will have a similar partnership with Darnold that he had with Cousins. Jefferson also suffered a quad injury vs. the Niners and did not play in the second half, but the injury does not appear serious and he should play against the Texans.

Second-year wideout Jordan Addison (ankle) may be back in the lineup as well, but even if he is not, Jalen Nailor and running back Aaron Jones should be productive against the Texans 10th-ranked pass defense.

Vikings defense will deliver two takeaways against Texans

The Vikings have added some significant players this season, and free-agent signees Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard have all made contributions early in the season. They also drafted edge rusher Dallas Turner with their second first-round pick, and he already has five tackles and a sack.

Cashman had a dominant performance against the Niners, and he appears to have already mastered the Flores defense. Cashman had 13 tackles, 3 passes defensed and a sack against the Brock Purdy-led offense, and he was one of the primary reasons the Vikings were able to slow down San Francisco's prolific offense.

Van Ginkel had an interception that he returned for a touchdown in the opener against the Giants and nearly had another against the Niners when he diagnosed a screen pass and nearly secured the pass. Van Ginkel is a player who appears to be in the right spot at the right time.

Greenard has been a bit quieter than his other new teammates but he has registered two tackles and a sack. He has the pass-rush skills to register double-digit sacks this season.

Vikings must keep Danielle Hunter from wrecking the gameplan

Hunter was the Vikings best defensive player during his eight years with the Vikings. He had a career-high 16.5 sacks last year with Minnesota and he registered 10 or more sacks five times.

Hunter signed a free-agent deal with the Texans in the offseason, and he has already registered 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2 quarterback hits. He is clearly going to be motivated by facing his former team and he would like nothing better than to dominate the game and come up with multiple sacks, batted passes and a forced fumble.

The Vikings offensive line has performed well to this point, but offensive tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill will have to be at their best when asked to slow down Hunter. The former Vikings stalwart is a superior athlete who combines speed, strength and technique in a formidable combination.

The outcome of Minnesota's offensive line matchup against Hunter and the other Houston pass rushers will play a huge role in the outcome of this game.

Steve Silverman has been covering