Vikings-Jets preview and prediction: Is one last win over Aaron Rodgers in the cards?

LONDON — The Vikings (4-0) will try to remain undefeated, both for the 2024 season and in their history of games in London, when they take on the Jets on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They won in the stadium two years ago, beating the Saints after Wil Lutz missed a 61-yard field goal off the left upright and crossbar as time expired.

In their fourth trip to London since 2013, the Vikings will see a familiar face: Aaron Rodgers, who’ll face Minnesota for the 31st and perhaps final time in his illustrious career. The Vikings last saw Rodgers on Jan. 1, 2023, when he led the Packers to a 41-17 win at Lambeau Field that kept Green Bay in the playoff race.

Here’s a preview of the Vikings’ game with the Jets in London:

Vikings face Rodgers one more time: Though the Jets game, technically the ninth home game on the Vikings’ schedule, always made sense as the one the team would transfer to London, it means fans at U.S. Bank Stadium will miss out on what could be their final chance to hurl invective at Rodgers. The Jets won’t travel to Minnesota again until 2028 at the earliest, so unless Rodgers finishes his career with another team, this could be the last time the Vikings see him. He hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in a game since Dec. 12, 2021, and he struggled on a rainy day against the Broncos last week, but the Vikings say they still see plenty of the old Rodgers. “As special of a thrower of a football as maybe we’ve seen,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “And he’s a super computer that sees everything and has the ability to check and get to whatever he wants to get to.”

Jefferson could see zones, and lots of Sauce: The Jets (2-2), who have the second-ranked pass defense in the NFL, play plenty of quarters coverage like the Vikings do. They could use a similar approach to create traffic around Justin Jefferson. If he gets man coverage, he’ll likely see Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, who’s been a first-team All Pro each of his first two seasons. Gardner had a reputation as a grabby corner coming out of college, but was flagged for pass interference only once last year and called for holding or illegal contact three times. Jefferson rarely shies away from a high-profile matchup, and he’ll have a good one here.

Vikings’ run effort begins against Williams, Kinlaw: The Vikings have put together a solid ground game through the first four weeks of the season, and they could help Sam Darnold out with a strong day against a Jets team that’s allowed 4.6 yards per run this year. Creating the same kind of success will require the Vikings to handle defensive tackles Quinnen Williams (a two-time Pro Bowler) and Javon Kinlaw, the former 49ers lineman who reunited with coach Robert Saleh in New York. Kinlaw, in particular, has struggled against the run this season, and the Vikings could open things up for Aaron Jones if Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram can move Kinlaw and get to the second level of the Jets’ defense.

After run of young quarterbacks, Flores’ defense gets Rodgers: The most experienced quarterback the Vikings faced in their first four wins was Daniel Jones, who was making his 60th career regular-season start in Week 1. Rodgers, with 228 career regular-season starts and another 21 in the postseason, is a different challenge. “It’s not just talent,” safety Harrison Smith said. “It’s preparation, years of reps and getting on the same page with his guys, being able to put the ball wherever he wants it.” At age 40 and coming off a torn Achilles, Rodgers isn’t as mobile as he was in his best years with the Packers. The Vikings could have some success pressuring him against a questionable Jets offensive line. But they might not be able to fool him with their coverages quite as easily as they’ve done to younger QBs.

Wilson could be Gilmore’s next assignment: Though he hasn’t constantly shadowed opponents’ top receivers this season, cornerback Stephon Gilmore has at least started snaps on the same side as the targets the Vikings deem the most dangerous. This well, that’ll likely mean Garrett Wilson, the third-year receiver who caught 95 passes last year. Wilson has only 20 catches this season, spurring questions about his connection with Rodgers. The Vikings could try to use Gilmore to take Wilson away.