It’s a simple task for the Vikings this week: Keep playing the kind of football they’ve played through the first five weeks of the season, and it’ll be very difficult for the Indianapolis Colts to leave U.S. Bank Stadium with a victory on Sunday.
The Vikings have gotten to 5-0 with the best defense in the NFL, elite special teams, and an offense that started slow but has shown signs of life and has mostly taken care of the football. The Colts are 2-4, coming off a loss to the Titans, and somewhat of a mess on both sides of the ball. A loss in this one would be a major letdown for Minnesota, especially with the schedule about to get a lot tougher.
Here are our staff writers’ score predictions for this weekend’s game.
Will Ragatz: Vikings 33, Colts 13
Not only would I be stunned if the Vikings lost this game, I’d be rather surprised if they don’t cover the 6.5-point spread (disclaimer: this is not gambling advice). Daniel Jones has had a disastrous start to his season, with more turnover-worthy plays than any other quarterback in football. Now he faces this Brian Flores defense, without Tyler Warren? On the other side of the ball, the Vikings looked much improved against the Saints and come out of the bye as healthy as they’ve been at the skill positions all year. Minnesota cruises.
Joe Nelson: Vikings 48, Colts 11
The Vikings might pull a Colts and lead 33-0 at the half, but unlike that 2022 Indy squad coughing up the largest least in NFL history to Minnesota, the Vikings will keep dominating and win this game by nearly 40 points. Kyler Murray stays hot and throws for four touchdowns, quieting any remaining rumbling from his doubters. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison both go over 100 receiving yards. Easy peasy.
Tony Liebert: Vikings 23, Colts 21
Fresh off a bye, the Colts feel like an opponent that Minnesota should have zero issues beating at home, but that’s exactly why this matchup could be tricky. Indianapolis appears to be entering a rebuild after firing longtime GM Chris Ballard earlier this week, and Jonathan Taylor trade rumors are continuing to heat up. The Colts have nothing to lose in this game. Therefore, I expect it to be much closer than the experts think. The Vikings’ dominant defense and special teams will do just enough to win a close one.
Jonathan Harrison: Vikings 31, Colts 9
The Colts are showing all of the signs of a team that is heading for a fire sale after canning their GM earlier this week. Former Vikings practice squad QB Daniel Jones hasn’t been good this season and Indianapolis appear to be spiraling. This reads like a giant trap game for the undefeated Vikings coming off a bye. I think it’ll be a bit of a slow start for Minnesota, but once Kyler and the Vikings’ offense find that groove they had in the final six quarters before the bye, they’ll run away with this one. Flores will have Minnesota’s defense flying again, limiting a banged-up Colts offense.
Adam Uren: Vikings 30, Colts 17
The Colts are floundering amid firings and rumors of a fire sale, and in any other season this would be a classic “trap game” that the Vikings could easily lose. This year though, with the defense humming under Brian Flores, I can’t see that happening. It’s also the perfect game for Kyler Murray to test out his full complement of offensive weapons before a daunting run of games in November.
You can find our picks from last game here. Season records for our pickers:
- Joe Nelson: 5-0
- Will Ragatz: 4-1
- Jonathan Harrison: 4-1
- Tony Liebert: 3-2
- Adam Uren: 3-2
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Vikings section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.