Like last year in October, the Vikings are faced with another short week trip to Los Angeles. This year it’s a game vs. the Chargers.
Carson Wentz will start again at quarterback, with a chance he’ll get to hand the ball off to running back Aaron Jones Sr. Out since Week 3 with a hamstring injury, Jones Sr. had his practice window opened up on Tuesday. So, there’s a chance he’ll play Thursday.
The Vikings under coach Kevin O’Connell have focused and prided themselves on situational mastery from third downs to special teams to the red zone.
They’re not consistently finding that success this season. The Vikings dropped to 3-3 after they scored only one touchdown in six trips inside the 20-yard line in a 28-22 loss to Philadelphia. They rank 22nd in the NFL with a 52% red-zone touchdown rate. Time to fix these issues is tight this condensed week.
KSTP Sports spoke with receiver Justin Jefferson on Tuesday about the red zone issues, the challenges of the short week, and more.
**_\*\*\*Click the video box above to watch Jefferson preview the game vs. the Chargers\*\*\*_**
The Chargers are trying to forget about their third loss in the last four games. The team that opened the season with three consecutive victories over division opponents has fallen out of first in the AFC West. The Chargers have little time to dwell on what went wrong during a 38-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Kickoff Thursday night in Los Angeles is set for 7:20 p.m. Central.
_The Associated Press contributed to this report_