The Vikings (6-2) are preparing to take on the Washington Redskins (4-4) at FedExField on Sunday.
Washington is coming off a 17-14 victory over the Seattle Seahawks where Kirk Cousins led the Redskins on a game-winning drive for the road victory.
Minnesota has won four games in a row and is coming off of its bye week.
Let's see who the experts pick to win the matchup.
Oh, boy -- this is a good game. The Vikings have been solid all season, riding a championship-level defense and a quarterback who won't give the game away. The Redskins have stayed afloat with gutsy quarterback play and timely -- if not dominant -- defense. Both teams also have made no excuses for injuries. At some point, Case Keenum is going to have to make plays to win the game for Minnesota. Speaking of, another Minnesota backup played in one of the biggest games in franchise history, in Washington, some 30 years ago. It was a game that carried major historical implications, too. Take a gander. But before you go, here is your weird note courtesy of @RealJackAndrade, who may or may not be binge-watching "Stranger Things": Kirk Cousins' career passer rating in November is 112.2, the NFL's highest in that month since he entered the league in 2012. I have no idea what that means. You're welcome.
Redskins 20, Vikings 17— Elliot Harrison, NFL.com
*Every time the Redskins play a game, I always imagine what it would be like to watch them play while sitting on a couch with Kirk Cousins' agent. If I were that guy, I'd send Redskins owner Daniel Snyder a new contract demand EVERY time that Cousins throws a touchdown pass. *
*After Cousins led the Redskins to a wild comeback win over the Seahawks on Sunday, I would've sent Snyder an entire book of demands. *
*Hey Dan, did you see that comeback? Great. We're going to need to add three zeroes and one extra year to that proposed contract extension. *
*Also, let's up that signing bonus from $41 million to $81 million. *
*Oh, and Kirk's wife would like free ice cream for life, so let's throw that in. *
*Also, not sure if you heard, but the Cousins [family] just had a baby, and Kirk says you need to pay for the diapers. Not sure if that counts against the salary cap, though, so you'll need to hire someone to crunch the numbers there. *
Kirk will also need you to get MTV to reboot the show "Pimp My Ride," and then once that's done, Kirk will need to be on the show because he kind of wants his conversion van pimped out.
Besides those things, I would also make demands for restaurant gift certificates and free premium cable. As you can clearly tell, I would be a fantastic agent. I think what I'm trying to say here is that Cousins' value is going to continue to skyrocket because he's going to beat the Seahawks and **Vikings* **in consecutive weeks.
*
Redskins 23, Vikings 20 — John Breech,**CBS Sports**
*When: Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (Fox), FedExField, Landover, Maryland*
This is the toughest game of the week to pick. If the Washington Redskins were completely healthy, I'd probably choose them. I'm just not sure they have enough talent and depth to overcome injuries and the Minnesota Vikings.
This is still going to be one of the best matchups of the week. Even though the Redskins are beat up, they have weapons, and they've shown they're capable of making big plays. Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky has his unit playing at a high level, too.
The problem is that while the Redskins showed they were capable of making big plays against the Seahawks, their defense isn't even close to what Minnesota's is. The Vikings defense is one of the three or four best in football.
Minnesota's offense is capable of making plays of its own. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen are both healthy and can stretch the field. The Vikings can run the ball, too. This one will be close, but the Vikings have the weapons on both sides of the ball to come out on top.
Vikings 23, Redskins 20 — Chris Simms, Bleacher Report
The week began with the possibility of Teddy Bridgewater being active for the first time since the end of the 2015 season, as Case Keenum's backup. On the other side, Washington hopes to get as many as four offensive starters back from injury (three on the line, plus tight end Jordan Reed). They got away with it (barely) in Seattle; they somehow have to mimic that against another elite defense and ferocious front line. Kirk Cousins should keep his head on a swivel.
Vikings 31, Redskins 21 — David Steele,**Sporting News**
The Redskins saved their season by winning at Seattle behind a great defensive performance. But their banged-up offensive line faces a challenge in the Minnesota front. I think the Vikings will find a way again to win a game late with both defenses having good games.
Vikings 21, Redskins 20 — Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
If both teams were at full strength I'd take Washington in this one, but I see the Vikings' defensive front making life rough for Kirk Cousins *behind a banged-up offensive line.*
Vikings 21, Redskins 16— Michael David Smith,**Pro Football Talk**
Washington is better than 4-4, and the Vikings are worse than 6-2. It's a correction Sunday in Maryland, and a loss by the visiting team moves Teddy Bridgewater another step toward returning.
Redskins 23, Vikings 16— Mike Florio,**Pro Football Talk**
FiveThirtyEight's 2015 NFL forecast uses an Elo-based model to calculate each team's chances of advancing to the playoffs and winning Super Bowl 50. Playoff probabilities are based on 20,000 simulations of the season and will update after each game.
Pre-game win probabilities: Vikings 50 percent — FiveThirtyEight.com
3 of 9 experts pick the Vikings,**SB Nation**
