Jaguars vs. Vikings: 4 things to know about Week 13’s game
The Jacksonville Jaguars will head up to Minneapolis this week to wrap up the third quarter of their season against the Minnesota Vikings. Week 13’s battle will be one between two teams who are on opposite ends of the spectrum as Minnesota is one spot away from a postseason seed, while the Jags were eliminated from playoff contention last week. At the same time, the Vikings are in a situation where the Jags could be viewed as the most dangerous team they’ve faced so far.
While the game’s coverage will be somewhat limited, Week 13’s battle between the Jags and Vikes actually could be interesting as the Jags have lost three of their last four by four points or less. That said, here are some things to watch in Sunday’s game, which will mark the Jags’ and Vikings’ seventh meeting in NFL history:
The Jags have only defeated the Vikings once in team history
When looking back at the history between these two teams, it hasn't been all that great for the Jags. They will enter Sunday's game 1-5 against the Vikings, with their only win coming in December of 2001 in the form of a 33-3 victory. Since that moment, the Jags have lost their last four meetings against the Vikings. The Jags' last game against the Vikings came in 2016 when Gus Bradley was the team's coach. They ended up losing the game 25-16 at TIAA Bank Field. As for the last away game against the Vikings, that took place in 2012 under Mike Mularkey and it was a battle that went into overtime before the Vikings were able to win by a score of 26-23.
The Vikings have a great deal of momentum coming into this game
The Vikings started the season 1-6, but are now a game away from .500 and one seed outside of a playoff spot. The reason for that is because they've won four of their last five, which means the Jags will take on a team with a ton of momentum. The Vikings are also dangerous in the sense of their recent success on offense as they've proven they can get wins in a variety of ways. In their last game against the Carolina Panthers, the Vikings were able to win despite their star rusher, Dalvin Cook, being shut down and held to 18 carries for 61 yards. With the Panthers daring Kirk Cousins to beat them with his arm, the veteran accepted the challenge, going 35-of-45 for 307 yards and three touchdowns. All of that said, Sunday's game could be entertaining as the Jags have kept things competitive in the second half of their schedule. While Cousins has a ton of momentum, the Jags will be starting their No. 3 quarterback in Mike Glennon, who had a solid Week 12 performance and has nothing to lose Week 13.
A battle of the league's No. 2 and No. 3 rushers
One thing both teams have in common is their ability to run the ball. In fact the Vikings will enter the game with the No. 2 rusher in Cook and the Jags have the league's No. 3 rusher in James Robinson. Both players have been phenomenal for their respective teams as Cook has already hit the 1,000-yard mark (1,130 rushing yards to be exact) and the only rusher in the league with more yards is Derrick Henry. Cook's total of 13 rushing touchdowns puts him atop the league as far as scoring goes, which doesn't bode well for a Jags defense that ranks 29th, allowing an average of 136.2 yards a game. As for Robinson, he leads all rookies in rushing with 890 rushing yards. Of course, the only two players with more rushing yards are the two aforementioned rushers. Despite going undrafted, he's been the Jags' most consistent offensive player and has reached the point where national pundits need to put him in the Rookie of the Year conversation. When considering the accolades of both Cook and Robinson, Sunday's game is going to be quite interesting as the two face off. If Robinson can have a better game than Cook, maybe it will get him more recognition in the eyes of the nation as we close in on the end of the season.
A battle of 2 Rookie of the Year Award candidates
Robinson won't only be battling an established player in Cook from a top rushers perspective, but he'll also be battling a fellow first-year player for the Rookie of the Year Award. That player's name is Justin Jefferson, who is also having an amazing year. Jefferson will enter Week 13 with 1,000 yards within reach as he currently has 52 catches for 918 yards and six touchdowns. For a team that lost Stefon Diggs via trade, he's certainly filled the void for as best as a rookie can for Cousins and the offense. Like Robinson, he'll come into Sunday's game hungry and looking to outperform the Illinois State rookie. With the Jags' passing defense being ranked 29th, he could be in for a solid day, too, or at the least hit the 1,000-yard mark.
