Five Good Texans questions with Daily Norseman

Two undefeated teams clash on Sunday in Minnesota. The Houston Texans tour of the NFC North continues against the Minnesota Vikings in any territory. The Vikings are a bit of a surprise after their shocking victory over the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday. The Texans start is a little less surprising but equally impressive. We talked with Christopher Gates of the Daily Norseman to get some insight on the Vikings in advance of Sunday's game.

Battle Red Blog: Coming into the season, J.J. McCarthy was thought to be the quarterback of the future, but that has obviously been delayed. How has Sam Darnold looked so far? Have the expectations for the Vikings shifted as a result of the injury to McCarthy?

Christopher Gates: I think people are starting to feel pretty good about Darnold after the first two games. Given the trajectory that his career has been on prior to coming to Minnesota I don't think a lot of expert types were expecting very much but fans seemed to be of the mindset that he's surrounded by a lot more talent in Minnesota than he's had with other teams. So far, he's shown the ability to limit his mistakes and get his receivers the football in a position to be successful, and he seems to have the full confidence of the coaching staff so far. The McCarthy injury was obviously a disappointment, but Darnold is doing his best to make sure that this isn't a "lost" season in Minnesota.

BRB: Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman were prominent Texans this past season and both signed big contracts with the Vikings. How have they looked so far?

CG: Both Cashman and Greenard have looked outstanding thus far through the first two weeks. Greenard is among the league leaders in quarterback pressures, and even though he hasn't notched any sacks of his own yet, the pressures he's provided have been directly responsible for a number of other sacks the team has collected. Cashman was a bit quiet in the season opener but had a phenomenal game last week against San Francisco and is helping to solidify the interior of the defense alongside Ivan Pace Jr. Overall, both players seem to be pretty good investments so far.

BRB: Every NFL fan knows about Justin Jefferson. Who are some of the players that Texans fans may not have heard about that they should get to know before Sunday's game?

CG: One player to keep an eye on is another wide receiver in Jalen Nailor. With Jordan Addison likely out for Sunday's game and T.J. Hockenson still on the shelf, Nailor has stepped into the #2 wide receiver role and has made several big catches, including a nice one to extend the Vikings' final drive on Sunday. Nailor dealt with a lot of injuries in college and now into the pros, but when he's been able to stay on the field he's been an effective player. As long as Jefferson is drawing the majority of attention from the opposing defense, Nailor will have his opportunities to make plays on offense.

BRB: The NFC North is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. How do you see the division shaking out this year? On another note, which of the three teams do Vikings fans enjoy beating the most?

CG: The Vikings were almost universally picked to finish fourth in the NFC North going into the year as the Really Smart Football PeopleTM were convinced that the Vikings wouldn't be able to win without a quarterback they told us for six years wasn't any good. Now the three other NFC North teams are having their struggles and the Vikings have looked impressive during their first two games. It's hard to say how things will shake out since we're still pretty early on, but if the Vikings' defense continues to play at the level it's playing at there's no reason to think the Vikings can't get themselves a playoff berth, if not a division title. Also, when it comes to beating division rivals, I think at least 9 out of every 10 Vikings fans would tell you that beating Green Bay is the most satisfying. The superiority complex that fan base possesses is incredible and it's always enjoyable to get a victory over them to see their reaction.

BRB: Our partner has the Texans favored by 2.5 points with the over/under set at 46.5. Are you taking the Vikings and the points or do you foresee a Texans victory? Do you foresee a defensive battle or a high scoring affair? Also, are there any prop bets you feel comfortable recommending?

CG: I think this game is going to come down to whichever front seven can have the most success. Both teams have plenty of talent in that group, with Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson leading the charge for the Texans and Ivan Pace Jr. and Andrew Van Ginkel supplementing the two players that came over from Houston this offseason. Brian Flores seems to be in a zone right now, so I might give him a slight edge and take the Vikings to pull out a second straight upset with the point total hitting the "under." As far as prop bets, I talked about Jalen Nailor, and FanDuel currently has him at a +280 to score a touchdown at some point in this game. I think that's one I might roll the dice on.