Minnesota Vikings predictions: Week 3 vs. Titans

Things have not gone well for the Minnesota Vikings at the beginning of the 2020 season, to say the least.

The Vikings are off to an 0-2 start and now have to face a Tennessee Titans team which has won each of their first two games.

Is an 0-3 start on the horizon? Or is this the week Minnesota gets off the schneid?

Here’s this week’s Vikings predictions from around the web:

Barry Wilner of the Associated Press: Titans 20, Vikings 19.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times: Titans 27, Vikings 23. “The Vikings are at home, but they look lifeless. They need to get the job done on the ground, so it could be a big day for Dalvin Cook, but Titans get it done with dangerous mix of pass and run.”

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com: Vikings 23, Titans 17. “The Titans are rolling at 2-0, while the Vikings are reeling. But the Vikings can’t be as bad as they have looked. Even with the defense struggling, I think they will get back on track here. The Titans will lose for the first time. Upset special.”

NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal: Titans 23, Vikings 20. “The contrarian in me planned to pick the Vikings all week. Teams with this much established talent usually respond before torpedoing their season at 0-3, and the Titans’ two wins came against so-so opponents with a fair bit of luck. The game is in Minnesota, if that matters anymore. Then I Game Passed the Vikings’ loss to the Colts and realized it’s the established talent that is part of the problem. Kirk Cousins is overthinking decisions. Eric Kendricks doesn’t look like himself in coverage and his tag-team partner, Anthony Barr, is now on injured reserve. The Vikings’ safeties are busy spending all their time covering for the team’s young cornerbacks. That leaves their run defense vulnerable, which is not ideal with Derrick Henry coming to town. When a team shows you they are bad for two straight weeks, sometimes you have to believe them.”

John Breech of CBSSports.com: Titans 30, Vikings 20.

Will Brinson of CBSSports.com: Titans 28, Vikings 12. “I can’t go against what I’m seeing, and what I’m seeing is that the Vikings are a bottom five team in the NFL right now. They’re not stopping anyone, they’re not protecting their quarterback, and they have no interest in trying to crank up the tempo. This is begging for multiple Derrick Henry jailbreaks that puts it out play.”

Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News: Vikings 24, Titans 20 (note: this is Iyer’s Upset of the Week). “The Vikings can’t be this bad, can they? The Titans can’t be this good, can they? Minnesota’s defense is in a rough patch, struggling mightily against run and pass over the first two weeks. The key here at home for the Vikings will be a positive game script where they can control the game with Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison on the ground and Kirk Cousins is throwing efficiently off play-action. There’s nothing scary about Tennessee’s overrated defense, either. The streaky Cousins is due to be hot again, while Ryan Tannehill cools off a little on the road as the Vikings rise from desperation mode.”

Tadd Haslop of the Sporting News: Vikings 28, Titans 23. “Minnesota returns home following its clunker in Indianapolis last week and draws a team it’s built to beat as long as the offense can stay on schedule. The combination of desperation and better ball protection should get the Vikings on the board with a win.”

The Miami Herald’s Greg Cote: Vikings 27, Titans 23.

Jordan Dajani of CBSSports.com: Titans 26, Vikings 23.

Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski: Titans.

Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area: Titans 27, Vikings 20. “The Vikings were a trendy Super Bowl pick, but they’ve been lifeless during the first two weeks. Kirk Cousins remains the biggest thief since D.B. Cooper jumped out of that plane. With Anthony Barr hurt and Eric Kendricks looking like a shell of himself, the Vikings’ defense is all out of whack. Minnesota stinks and the Titans love bullying teams with no backbone. Take it to the bank.”

Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith and Mike Florio: MDS – Titans 30, Vikings 20; Florio – Titnas 24, Vikings 10.

Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman: Vikings 26, Titans 23.

The six analysts at SI.com are split down the middle with three each taking the Vikings and Titans.

Four of seven USA Today writers pick the Vikings to win.

All three writers at Athlon Sports pick the Titans to win.

Just one of 10 SB Nation writers predict a Vikings victory.

Three of seven PennLive.com writers pick the Vikings.