Previewing the New York Jets’ opposition: Minnesota Vikings

The New York Jets return to London for the first time since 2021 to face the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Jets came out flat against Atlanta three years ago and their comeback fell short. They can't afford to come out flat this weekend against the Vikings, whom they haven't beaten since 2010.

Let's break down the Vikings' roster going position by position:

The Vikings headed into the offseason with first round rookie JJ McCarthy penciled in as their starting quarterback, but when he suffered a season ending injury, offseason signing Sam Darnold was thrust back into the limelight.

Darnold has been a revelation in the first four games as he leads the NFL in passer rating and touchdown passes. If he's finally figured out how to succeed at the NFL level, he could be headed to the Pro Bowl . However, he started the 2021 season in similar fashion with the Panthers but was unable to sustain that level of play.

Robert Saleh shut Darnold and the Jets down in 2020 as the defensive coordinator of the 49ers , so he will hopefully have a plan to rattle and confuse Darnold, whom the Jets cut ties with at the end of that season.

Another ex-Jets quarterback, Brett Rypien, is also on the roster but he's the number three quarterback behind Nick Mullens. 16 of Mullens' 20 career starts came in San Francisco while Saleh was on the coaching staff.

Offensive Line

The Vikings are returning four of their five starters from last season, with the only change being at left guard where Blake Brandel is currently starting. Dalton Risner, who took over as the starting left guard in week six last season and didn't allow a sack over the rest of the season, is currently on injured reserve.

Brandel lines up alongside veteran center Garrett Bradbury, who is a solid run blocker. The pair have seven penalties between them in the first four games though.

The other starter on the interior is right guard Ed Ingram, with ex-Jet Dan Feeney available as a primary backup.

Minnesota has talent at the tackle positions with former first round pick Christian Darrisaw on the left and 2021 pro bowler Brian O'Neill on the right. David Quessenberry, who filled in for four starts in 2023, backs them up.

The Vikings also added a couple of late round rookies in center Michael Jurgens and tackle Walter Rouse but neither has featured yet.

Running Backs

The Vikings' running attack is led by Aaron Jones, a longtime teammate of Jets' quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Jones is averaging five yards per carry and racked up 93 rushing yards and four catches for 46 yards against the Packers on Sunday.

Ty Chandler is the number two, although he hasn't made much of an impact yet this season. Myles Gaskin, whom they opted to retain over current Jets practice squad member Kene Nwangwu, is the number three.

CJ Ham is also on the roster as a fullback. He went to his second pro bowl last season.

Pass catchers

The Vikings' main passing game weapon is all-pro Justin Jefferson, who is fifth in the NFL with 358 receiving yards. He had a touchdown in each of the first four games of the season and has developed good chemistry with Darnold.

The Jets may opt to have Sauce Gardner travel with Jefferson to hopefully diminish his threat, but the Vikings have plenty more in the way of receiving talent. Jordan Addison was a first round pick last season and he had over 900 yards and a team-high 10 touchdown catches, while Jalen Nailor has three touchdown catches already this year, Trent Sherfield is a steady veteran and Brandon Powell has good athleticism.

Trishton Jackson is also on the roster but has yet to contribute so far this season.

At tight end, TJ Hockenson almost had a thousand-yard season in 2023 but he's currently on the PUP list. Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt represent a downgrade but did combine for 39 catches and three touchdowns last year.

Defensive Line

The Vikings operate out of a 3-4 system with veteran offseason addition Jerry Tillery joining Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard in the starting lineup.

Jalen Redmond and undrafted rookie Taki Taimani are rotational backups, while seventh round pick Levi Drake Rodriguez is also on the roster but has yet to play.

Veteran Jihad Ward is listed as an outside linebacker but has also seem plenty of reps on the interior.

The Vikings' edge rushers have been productive so far this season, with primary reserve Patrick Jones II and starters Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel having combined for 12 sacks between them. Jones is having a breakout year as he leads the team with five. Van Ginkel also has a pick six, while Greenard was a big signing in the offseason to replace the outgoing Danielle Hunter.

On the inside, ex-Jet Blake Cashman was an offseason addition, having proven his ability to stay healthy at last with Houston. He leads the team in tackles. The other starter is Ivan Pace, who had 102 tackles as an undrafted rookie last season. Pace missed the Packers game but returned to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday.

Kamu Grugier-Hill also gets playing time in a rotational role. He's a good coverage linebacker who already intercepted two passes this season. Brian Asomoah hasn't played much yet, though.

First round rookie Dallas Turner has one sack so far as he provides more depth on the edge along with Ward.

Defensive Backs

Minnesota's numbers as a pass defense were hurt by last week's game, where Jordan Love had 389 yards and four touchdowns. However, the Vikings roared out to a 28-0 lead and then played soft coverage for most of the rest of the game as 271 of those yards came after halftime.

The starting cornerbacks are veteran Stephon Gilmore, a late-offseason veteran addition, and Byron Murphy, who led the team with three interceptions and 13 pass breakups last season. In nickel situations, Shaq Griffin enters the game on the outside and Murphy moves into the slot.

The ageless Harrison Smith, who is a 35-year old and has been to six Pro Bowls, remains as a starter along with Camryn Bynum, who led the team in tackles last season.

With Pace out, the Vikings have been playing with three safeties, so Josh Metellus has basically been in a full-time role. He had four forced fumbles last season.

Jay Ward and Theo Jackson provide depth at safety, while veteran Fabian Moreau, Akayleb Evans and undrafted rookie Dwight McGlothern are available as cover at cornerback. These five have played less than 50 defensive snaps between them.

Special Teams

The Vikings drafted Will Reichard in the sixth round in April to be their new kicker and he hasn't disappointed. All 20 of his kicks so far have been good, including a 58-yard field goal.

The punter is Ryan Wright, who is in his third season with the team. He is posting the worst gross average but the best net average of his career so far.

The return game hasn't seen much success yet with Chandler listed as the primary kickoff returner and Powell on punts. They are backed up by Gaskin and Nailor, respectively.

Ward and Evans are the primary punt gunners with Jackson, Pace, Metellus and Asamoah all also productive in kick coverage.

Finally, Andrew DePaola, the long snapper, is also a two-time Pro Bowler.