There are nine undefeated teams in the NFL entering Week 3, but only one game on the schedule features two of them going head-to-head.
That game will be at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, where the 2-0 Minnesota Vikings host the 2-0 Houston Texans.
Aside from both teams being unbeaten, many intriguing storylines and matchups define this contest. Here’s a preview of a top matchup in Week 3.
Houston Texans vs. Minnesota Vikings Game Preview
Although the Texans and Vikings aren’t in the same conference, let alone the same division, and therefore see each other only once every four years, there is a fair amount of familiarity in this matchup.
The reason for this is the comings and goings of free agency, which has placed former Vikings on the Texans’ roster and vice versa.
There are five current Texans who once wore the purple and gold. The longest-tenured Viking of the bunch is defensive end Danielle Hunter, who played in Minnesota for eight seasons and racked up 87.5 sacks during that time. He signed with the Texans in the spring and is off to a good start with his new team, tallying 1.5 sacks last week against Chicago.
Another high-profile name on Houston’s side is wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a fifth-round draft pick of the Vikings in 2015 who became one of the league’s most lethal pass catchers while in Minnesota, recording 365 receptions and 30 receiving touchdowns in 70 games. He also is largely responsible for one of the greatest plays in Vikings’ history, the Minneapolis Miracle.
The other three returnees include the quarterback who threw Diggs the ball to complete the Minneapolis Miracle, Case Keenum. He is on injured reserve and won’t play in the game. Two Texans who will play prominent roles this Sunday who once were members of the Vikings roster are running back Cam Akers and defensive back Kris Boyd, a 2019 seventh-round pick.
On the flip side, former Texans Blake Cashman and Jonathan Greenard are now members of the Vikings. Each is off to a good start with their new team.
Cashman has been on the field for 89 of a possible 99 defensive snaps (89%) and was dominant last week against the San Francisco 49ers with a team-high 13 tackles, plus three passes defensed and one sack. Greenard also had a sack last week and is proving to be a versatile chess piece in Brian Flores’ defense.
The game is filled with competitive matchups that will test each side’s physical ability and game-planning prowess.
Texans Defensive Ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter vs. Vikings Offensive Tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill
This is the third week in a row Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill have been highlighted as part of the key matchups in a Vikings game. It’s a signal not just of how important the offensive tackle position has become in the NFL, but also just how awesome of a tandem the Vikings have at such an important position.
Everyone knows where Darrisaw and O’Neill will line up each snap. Darrisaw is one of the league’s top left tackles, charged with protecting Sam Darnold’s blindside. O’Neill is similarly one of the NFL’s top right tackles, possessing a rare combination of size and athletic ability that allows him to be equally effective as a pass protector and run blocker.
The issue in this matchup is that Houston has the kind of defensive firepower on the edge of its line that can make the previous paragraph seem like hyperbole.
Hunter’s 87.5 sacks rank him third in Vikings history behind only John Randle and Chris Doleman, a pair of Hall of Famers. The Vikings know quite well the kind of impact he can have on a game. And they’re about to understand the kind of impact Hunter’s bookend can have, too.
Will Anderson Jr., the No. 3 overall pick by Houston a year ago, was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording seven sacks in 2023.
He’s continued his ascension through the first two games of 2024, too, totaling three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks already.
WELCOME TO AREA 51 🛸
📺: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/xyv4m1zjdv
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 16, 2024
There are certainly other players and matchups worth watching in the trenches on Sunday, but these four players bear monitoring the most as each offense attempts to navigate the opposing defense while avoiding negative plays.
Advantage: Vikings
Texans Wide Receivers Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs vs. Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores
It’s tough facing the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, quarterback C.J. Stroud. What’s even tougher is when that quarterback is armed with a talented trio of receivers.
That is the challenge in front of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
This component of the Texans-Vikings matchup becomes even more important this week because of the likely absence of Houston running back Joe Mixon due to an ankle injury sustained in last week’s win over the Chicago Bears.
Stroud figures to lean on the passing game quite a bit on Sunday, and in so doing, he’ll look to incorporate all three of his playmaking wide receivers.
The trio of Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell gives Stroud a plethora of options and Flores a whole host of problems.
The first issue is figuring out how the receivers are used. Through two games, Collins leads in snap share at 82%, Diggs is right behind at 79%, and Dell comes in at 66%. The numbers show that Houston is quite comfortable with formations that include all three receivers on the field at the same time.
In terms of pass distribution, Stroud has found the end zone with Diggs twice. But he’s targeted and found Collins the most.
AN ELITE THROW FROM CJ7️⃣ ON THE RUN ‼️
📺: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/tiuHx3rOKu
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 16, 2024
Collins leads Houston in targets (18), receptions (14) and yards (252).
Don’t sleep on Dell, though. While he’s been third on the pecking order in 2024, he’s coming off a 2023 season in which he caught 47 passes and seven touchdowns on 75 targets.
Flores and the Vikings’ defense will be up for the challenge, though. They’ve held down the competition to date, containing New York Giants first-round pick Malik Nabers (five receptions for 66 yards) and showing well against San Francisco’s trio Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel. The trio found the end zone just once on 36 pass attempts from quarterback Brock Purdy.
Another key for Flores’ defense has been the coordinator’s commitment to mixing up his use of man and zone coverage as well as his variance between pressuring and relying on a four-man rush.
The Vikings have blitzed 33% of the time in 2024, the fifth-highest rate but well below their league-leading 50% rate last season. At the same time, Flores’ crew has generated the second-highest pressure rate with a four-man rush this season (45%), and they entered Week 3 leading the NFL in sacks with 11.
The Bears figure to be no slouch on defense this season, and Houston’s trio put up 13 catches for 169 yards and one touchdown. But Minnesota objectively poses a far more significant challenge this week given its personnel and production through the first two games and the fact it’s a road game for Stroud and Co. in a building that provides one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL.
Advantage: Texans
Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans vs. Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell
Breaking this matchup down and then giving one side an advantage truly is nitpicking.
In response to the trend of hiring rather young coaches with playing experience, the Texans and Vikings both seem to have found an outstanding leader for their teams’ foreseeable future.
DeMeco Ryans enters the third game of his second season at the helm in Houston. He guided the Texans to a 10-7 record and AFC South crown in his first season and now has his team off to a 2-0 start in Year 2.
A former linebacker for Houston and the Philadelphia Eagles from 2006-15, Ryans is fairly recently removed from the ranks of playing in the NFL and seems keen on communication with his roster while also serving as its leader.
The Texans run a 4-3 defensive scheme as their base under Ryan’s leadership. In 2023, Houston ranked sixth against the run and 11th in scoring defense. The Texans also authored a +10 turnover margin, which was tied for fifth in the NFL.
O’Connell, who played more briefly in the NFL (2008-12), is two games into his third season guiding the Vikings. He got off to a hot start, going 13-4 in his rookie coaching campaign to win the NFC North. Last year was more uneven as the Vikings dealt with injuries to starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and receiver Justin Jefferson.
The 2024 season is off to a storybook start, all things considered. The Vikings moved on from the Kirk Cousins era and tabbed Sam Darnold to be their starter while first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy heels and develops.
Under O’Connell, the Vikings’ offense tends to feature the pass. You can hardly blame them given the firepower they have with Justin Jefferson and, when healthy, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockeson.
JUSTIN JEFFERSON 97 YARD TUDDY!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/0PJs9mheCK
— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
This past offseason, though, the team made a concerted effort to be more balanced with the run and pass. Maintaining continuity along the offensive line, with all five starters being returning players, and signing Aaron Jones away from the Green Bay Packers were the key moves in doing so.
Injuries are currently a factor for the Vikings on offense, though, with Hockenson on the PUP list and Addison out with an ankle injury. And last week, the Vikings had to finish the game without both Jefferson and Jones, who suffered injuries that kept them from returning. Even still, the Vikings found a way to knock off the 49ers and move to 2-0.
O’Connell and Ryans’ matchup of wits and rosters is a treat for football fans in Week 3. The winner will have a leg up, for now.
Advantage: Vikings
Texans vs. Vikings Predictions
David Bearman (19-13): Texans
Adam Beasley (20-12): Texans
Brian Blewis (16-16): Texans
Tony Catalina (21-11): Texans
Anthony DiBona (17-15): Texans
Mike Gambardella (20-12): Texans
Jay Morrison (20-12): Texans
Dakota Randall (21-11): Vikings
Dallas Robinson (17-15): Texans
Ben Rolfe (17-15): Texans
Kyle Soppe (19-13): Texans
Dan Tomaro (20-12): Texans
Mike Wobschall (19-13): Vikings
Dakota Zientek (18-14): Texans