Week 3: Raiders @ Vikings Support Group

3. Diggs, Thielen poised for breakout performances

For a duo as productive as Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen were in 2018, the production so far in 2019 for this tandem has been relatively modest. The two have combined for 11 catches, 204 yards and one touchdown on 20 targets in two games. Their matchup this week against the Raiders would appear favorable because there’s nothing modest about the production Oakland has surrendered through the air. No team has allowed more passing yards than the Raiders (682), plus the combined production for the top two wide receivers for each of the Raiders opponents amounts to 24 receptions for 427 yards and three touchdowns, a stat line that does not include tight end Travis Kelce’s numbers from last week (seven receptions for 107 yards and one touchdown).

4. Ground game – something’s gotta give


A much better matchup in Sunday’s contest will be Dalvin Cook and the Vikings rushing attack versus Oakland’s stout run defense. Through two games, Oakland has allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards (126) and they rank fourth in yards per carry allowed at 2.8. The Vikings, meanwhile, have been running seemingly at will through two games. Behind Cook’s fast start (two 100-yard games), the Vikings rank tied for second in rushing yards (370), fourth in per-carry average (5.7) and tied for the most rushing scores (four).

5. Raiders offense has talent, and some of that talent is injured

Quarterback Derek Carr is one of Oakland’s best offensive players and he’s healthy for Sunday’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Right tackle Trent Brown, running back Josh Jacobs and receiver Tyrell Williams are also some of Oakland’s best offensive players, but they aren’t completely healthy and their status bears monitoring heading into Sunday’s game. Brown was a big-time free agent signing this offseason and can hold down the right tackle job for seasons to come, but a knee ailment caused him to leave last week’s loss to Kansas City. Jacobs is a rookie but has quickly shown he belongs in the NFL, generating 212 yards and two touchdowns on 36 offensive touches in two games; he’s dealing with a groin injury heading into Week 3. Williams, a speedy receiver averaging 13.7 yards per catch this season and 16.2 yards per catch for his career, will be a threat against the Vikings secondary but he’ll have to overcome a hip pointer before he can take the field on Sunday.

STAT OF THE WEEK

The Vikings have run for 370 rushing yards in the first two games of the season, which is tied for second in the NFL. That two-game total is the most by a Vikings team to open a season since 1966 when Minnesota rushed for 406 to open the sixth season in franchise history.

NORSEMAN NOTES

The Vikings are seeking their 500th victory (including regular-season and playoffs). Minnesota is a combined 499-427-11.

Dalvin Cook’s 265 rushing yards are the fourth-most in the NFL in the first two weeks of a season since 2010.

Danielle Hunter and Linval Joseph are tied with Buccaneers LB Shaquil Barrett and Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt for second in the NFL with four tackles for loss each.

VIKINGS-RAIDERS SERIES NOTES

1. The Raiders hold a 10-5 edge in 15 contests that include a victory in Super Bowl XI.
2. The series began in the 1973 season opener. Chuck Foreman scored his first career touchdown, catching a 9-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton to put the Vikings ahead.
3. Daunte Culpepper has the unique distinction of recording the most passing yards by a Vikings QB against the Raiders (396 on Nov. 16, 2003) and by a Raiders QB against the Vikings (344 on Nov. 18, 2007).

Longest Vikings winning streak in series: 1 game (wins in 1973, 1987, 1996, 2007, 2015)

Longest Vikings losing streak in series: 5 games (Jan. 9, 1977 through Oct. 14, 1984)