New York Jets (2-2) vs. Minnesota (4-0) in London.
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. EDT, NFL Network.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Vikings by 2½.
Against the spread: Minnesota 4-0; New York 2-2.
Series record: Jets lead 8-4.
Last meeting: Vikings beat Jets 27-22 on Dec. 4, 2022, in Minnesota.
Last week: Jets lost to Broncos 10-9; Vikings beat Packers 31-29.
Jets offense: overall (22), rush (27), pass (18), scoring (21).
Jets defense: overall (2), rush (20), pass (2), scoring (5).
Vikings offense: overall (10), rush (14), pass (10), scoring (4).
Vikings defense: overall (23), rush (2), pass (32), scoring (4).
Turnover differential: Vikings plus-3; Jets plus-1.
QB Aaron Rodgers. The 40-year-old Rodgers acknowledged he was banged up a bit — he received treatment during the week on a swollen left knee — after being sacked five times and hit 14 times by Denver. He failed to lead the Jets into the end zone, and there were questions after the game and during the week as to whether his cadence has caused some confusion for the offensive line. Rodgers needs 96 passing yards to become the ninth player in NFL history with 60,000 for his career in the regular season.
QB Sam Darnold. The surprise NFL leader in passer rating (118.9) and passing touchdowns (11) is 4-0 as a starter for the first time in his seven-year career and also has his first four-game winning streak as the starter. He's not only facing a strong defense, but he'll be going against the team that drafted him third overall in 2018. Darnold went 13-25 as a starter in three mostly dismal seasons with the Jets. He had a 123.4 passer rating against the Packers, the third best of his career.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson vs. Jets CB Sauce Gardner. While the Vikings will move Jefferson all over their formations to try to maximize his opportunity and the Jets will certainly rely on more than one player to defend perhaps the league's premier pass catcher, any time there's a one-on-one situation between these stars it ought to be worth rewinding the DVR for another look. Jefferson had seven receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets two years ago against the Jets.
Jets LB C.J. Mosley could miss his third straight game after being listed as doubtful to play with a toe injury. … DL Leki Fotu was also doubtful, but returned to practice for the Jets this week after starting the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. ... RT Morgan Moses (knee) was ruled out early in the week. ... Vikings LB Ivan Pace Jr. is expected to play after missing the past two games with an ankle injury. ... Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson was ruled out, but practiced Friday for the first time this year in London, opening a three-week window in which he can be activated from the physically unable to perform list to complete his rehabilitation from a torn ACL and MCL.
The game marks the third time the Jets will play in London and their first since a 27-20 loss to Atlanta in 2021, which was also played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. New York beat Miami 27-14 in 2015 at Wembley Stadium. … Rodgers has played in London once before, a 27-22 loss to the New York Giants while with Green Bay in 2022. He was 25 of 39 for 222 yards and two touchdowns — including one to current Jets teammate Allen Lazard — in that game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. … Rodgers has 65,798 passing yards in regular season and postseason games. He needs 74 more to pass Dan Marino for seventh place on the NFL’s career list. … New York committed 15 penalties, 13 of which were accepted, last week against Denver, including five false starts by the offense. … RB Breece Hall is off to a slow start with 174 yards on 56 rushes, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. He averaged 5.8 yards as a rookie in 2022 and 4.5 last season. … Rookie RB Braelon Allen is the fourth player in NFL history with 100-plus rushing yards before turning 21 years old. … The Jets held New England to 61 net passing yards in Week 3 and Denver to 60 last week in the first time in franchise history the Jets held consecutive opponents to fewer than 75 passing yards. … Jets edge rusher Will McDonald is tied for third in the NFL with five sacks, with Patrick Jones of the Vikings. ... The Vikings are 4-0 for the first time since 2016. ... The Vikings are 3-0 in London, having won there in 2013, 2017 and 2022. They beat New Orleans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022. ... Vikings RB Aaron Jones has 100-plus yards from scrimmage in eight of his past nine games including two in the playoffs last season for the Packers. ... Jefferson has a TD catch in five straight games including the 2023 finale. ... Vikings OLB Jonathan Greenard, who's second on the team with four sacks, had two sacks in his previous game against the Jets on Dec. 10, 2023, while playing for Houston. ... Vikings LB Kamu Grugier-Hill has an interception in each of the past two games after getting only three in his first 117 regular-season games. ... Vikings rookie Will Reichard is 6 for 6 on field goals and 14 for 14 on extra points.
Lazard leads the Jets with 206 receiving yards and three TDs, with No. 1 WR Garrett Wilson off to a slow start from a fantasy perspective. Lazard, who has 20 catches for 239 yards and two TDs in four games against the Vikings, was targeted by Rodgers eight times last week.
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