Not many prognosticators had the Minnesota Vikings at 2-0 through two weeks of the season, creating one of the bigger matchups in Week 3 with the Houston Texans. While Vikings are a surprising 2-0, the Texans have been living up to expectations through two weeks with their 2-0 record.
C.J. Stroud has been as good as advertised through two weeks, completing 69.1% of his passes for 494 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions (104.7 rating). Stroud is third in the NFL in yards per attempt since 2023 (8.1) and second in air yards per attempt (8.8). His 43 passes of 25+ yards since 2023 are also tied for second in the NFL.
"I had a bunch of his games last year," said NFL on CBS' broadcaster Ian Eagle to CBS Sports, who is calling Sunday's game with Charles Davis and Evan Washburn. "To be honest, I was blown away. I just saw a savviness. I saw someone that was cool under pressure. I saw a natural leader out there on the field.
"It's only two games in year two and there are those who believe in sophomore jinxes, I'm not seeing it. I'm just seeing a continuation of all of those skills and a conviction of how he plays. There's competitiveness there. There's an ability to read defenses that you never quite know will translate to the next level.
"He's checked every box of what you are looking for in a franchise quarterback. And if you're a fan of the Houston Texans, you might be in for a decade of playoff football with this guy under center."
Stroud and the Texans face their biggest test of the season in the surprising Vikings. Below is a preview of this matchup, along with some input from Eagle for Sunday's showdown on CBS and Paramount+.
All NFL odds are via SportsLine Consensus.
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Sept. 22 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+ (click here)
Odds: Vikings +2, O/U 46
The Vikings pass rush
Minnesota has one of the best pass-rushing defenses in the NFL through two weeks, showcasing a considerable improvement under Brian Flores in Year 2 as the team's defensive coordinator. The Vikings have a 33.3% blitz rate on dropbacks this season, yet are first in the NFL in sacks (11), quarterback hits (19), and pressures (36). Last season, Minnesota had a 50.7% blitz rate on dropbacks.
How are the Vikings more productive despite blitzing less?
"Right now it's been a really good mix with the additions of Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard and maybe a little more trust on the back end," Eagle said on the Vikings' pass rush. "And the fact that Stephon Gilmore is a savvy veteran. When you've got experience back there that you can believe in, it can affect the way you call a game.
"It's also, to me, been a really good marriage of defensive philosophy and personnel. Flores is very aggressive and he has shown that time and time again. But you just can't play the hits all the time. You got to keep opposing offenses a bit off balance by mixing in some other material. I think Coach Flores is probably at a stage of his career where he feels more confident and determining a new look is not the worst option at this stage."
Van Ginkel has two sacks and an interception return for a touchdown this season while Patrick Jones II has four sacks. The Vikings have a pressure rate of 38.7% and a sack rate of 12.4%.
Sam Darnold's comeback season
The Vikings took a chance on Darnold by giving him a $10 million deal to be their starting quarterback -- and a placeholder for first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy. When McCarthy was lost for the season in August, the team officially became Darnold's.
Darnold has rewarded for the Vikings for their belief in him, completing 72.0% of his passes for 476 yards with four touchdowns to two interceptions with a career-high 111.7 passer rating.
"I think confidence is one of those fleeting topics in the NFL," Eagle said. "Anyone that gets to this level is capable and they've proven it. But so often it's based on who's around you, who's calling the shots, and where you are and what stage of your career. For quarterbacks we tend to jump to conclusions very early and then based on now having some more data we can look back and see it clearer that maybe Sam Darnold wasn't put in the best position to succeed to start his career.
"The fact that it wasn't a stable environment with the Jets and Darnold certainly did everything within his power to make it work. It just didn't. So what ends up happing in this league is you have a couple of different paths that you can follow and Sam had to go the route of backup -- and being humbled a bit. And now has you see him perform at the level that he's performing, you begin to question, was he the one at fault in New York?"
Darnold is averaging 9.5 yards per attempt this season (6.7 in his previous six seasons combined) and his 72.0% completion rate this season smashes his career-high of 61.9% (2019). The Vikings are getting excellent value from Darnold in his comeback season.
Prediction
The Vikings defense will bring a challenge to the Texans offensive line, which is 23rd in the NFL in sack rate (9.3%) but 11th in pressure rate allowed (31.2%). It will be up to Stroud to test a secondary that has only allowed a passer rating of 70.7 to opposing quarterbacks (sixth in NFL).
Darnold will have a challenge against the Texans pass defense, which has allowed a passer rating of 68.0 to opposing quarterbacks (fifth in NFL). The Texans also have a sack rate of 13.8% (second in NFL), with the addition of former Vikings star Danielle Hunter to the pass rush.
"I think it's gonna be respect, positivity," Eage said on Hunter's return. "I think everyone recognizes that this is a business and these players do need to maximize what they can get, when they can get it. If the Vikings were willing to spend the money that the Texans did, then he would have stayed in Minnesota. It's that simple.
"He was a great Viking. Third all time in sacks in franchise history. He was a very popular player during his days in the Twin Cities. I don't believe there will be any bad blood between the fans and Hunter. If anything, quite the opposite."
The Texans are battle tested and the Vikings are getting there. If Minnesota wins this one, the Vikings need to be considered among the best in the NFC. The Texans will be tough to take down.
Projected score: Texans 24-21
