U.S. Bank Stadium is going to be absolutely rocking on Sunday night.
The Vikings are 1-0 after beating the Bears in thrilling comeback fashion on Monday, which has only added to the excitement around this 2025 team. Now they’re back in Minneapolis to play another primetime game in their home opener. It’s the first home game of the J.J. McCarthy era, as well as the return of Adam Thielen after two years away. Plus, the atmosphere always seems to go to another level for night games.
The opponent is an Atlanta Falcons team looking to bounce back after losing a close one to the Buccaneers in Week 1. Last year, the Vikings beat the Falcons 42-21, but that was with Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterbacks. This time it’s a youth movement, with McCarthy (career start #2) and Michael Penix Jr. (career start #5) squaring off, just like they did during the January 2024 national championship game between Michigan and Washington.
The Vikings opened as 4.5-point favorites, but the line is down to 3.5. Minnesota is dealing with a few key injuries. Still, the Vikings are certainly the favorites in this one. Will they get it done and move to 2-0? Here are our staff’s score predictions.
After knocking off three quarters of rust and coming to life in the fourth quarter on Monday, I’m expecting the Vikings’ offense to hit the ground running in this one. J.J. McCarthy’s big finish should give him all kinds of confidence heading into his first home game. Jordan Mason figures to be more heavily involved in the first half than he was last week. And even with A.J. Terrell across from him, Justin Jefferson typically doesn’t stay quiet for long. This Falcons defense, outside of a few players, isn’t very good.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikings not having Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman is a bit concerning, but they should still be able to generate plenty of pass rush with Jonathan Greenard, Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and Dallas Turner. At linebacker, Eric Wilson is a capable fill-in for Cashman. Michael Penix Jr. and Bijan Robinson will put up yards, but Brian Flores’ defense will also come up with a key takeaway or two in a 10-point win.
There is no possible way the Falcons are leaving Minneapolis with a win. If Atlanta can’t beat the Bucs at home when they controlled the ball for 35 minutes and didn’t turn it over, they sure as heck aren’t coming to U.S. Bank Stadium to beat the juggernaut Vikings. I’m predicting at least four touchdowns for J.J McCarthy in a performance that will leave future opponents shaking in their boots.
The Falcons and Vikings both had hard back-and-forth Week 1 games with their second-year QBs, but Minnesota was the only one to leave with a win. J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. last faced in the 2024 college football national championship when Michigan took down Washington. I think Penix gets revenge this week at U.S. Bank Stadium and Minnesota struggles to defend Atlanta’s pass catchers. McCarthy’s first start at home gets spoiled in a close loss.
It didn’t start off well for McCarthy and the Vikings on Monday, but they found their way in the fourth quarter in an epic comeback win. The question is whether the Vikings and McCarthy are closer to the team we saw in the first three quarters or the one we saw in the final quarter. Because of the talent on the roster, I’m banking on it being the latter. Injuries are certainly a concern for Minnesota, with Christian Darrisaw out for a second consecutive week and some new absences on defense. I’m still predicting an impressive breakout performance on Sunday night for the Vikings and McCarthy — one where they show out for all four quarters instead of needing to rally late.
Here are last week’s predictions. Season records for our pickers:
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