Vikings vs. Broncos: Five things you can be sure of

On Sunday night, the Minnesota Vikings take on the Denver Broncos in a game played under the lights. The Vikings, who are 6-4 with a five-game streak, and the Broncos, who are 4-5 with a three-game streak, are both riding high heading into the game. This is what you can anticipate.

1. One more week for Justin Jefferson

As excited about Jefferson’s comeback as Vikings supporters are about Santa Claus’ presents, they will have to wait another week for the standout receiver to return from a hamstring injury.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Vikings began Jefferson’s 21-day practice window in an attempt to get him off injured reserve. However, since sustaining his injury late in an Oct. 8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Jefferson has not completed a practice.

Jefferson will miss Sunday’s game against the Broncos as the Vikings try to be cautious, but he might be ready to play against the Chicago Bears the following week. It is possible that he will miss one more game as Minnesota can only activate him from injured reserve (IR) until Nov. 29, which is after the Raiders game and during the bye week.

2. The Broncos offense being anemic

When it comes to their offense, the Broncos are at a high point heading into Sunday’s game. Despite winning three games in a row, Denver’s offense hasn’t exploded, scoring 22 points on average during that run.

Although that total is admirable, Denver has had space for more because their average starting field position has been at their own 43-yard line. Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports that the Baltimore Ravens, who average a starting position of their own 34-yard line, are the next closest team since Week 8.

The Broncos’ passing offense, which averages 184.6 yards per game, lacks the explosiveness necessary to test Brian Flores’ defense.

3. Pre-snap penalties for Denver

Denver’s propensity to shoot themselves in the foot is another factor contributing to their offensive woes.

According to Kosmider, the Broncos have the highest pre-snap penalty rate in the NFL, having done so on 3.2 percent of their offensive plays. False starts have been their worst problem, which has been exacerbated by Mike McGlinchey, who has six of them, tied with Carolina’s Ikem Ekwonu for the league lead.

The Broncos are tied for sixth place in the league with 64 penalties so far this season, so it’s likely that the Vikings will receive some assistance in containing Denver’s offense.

4. Attacking Denver with the run

The Vikings running game ranks 29th in the NFL with just over 85 rushing yards per game but Sunday could be a get-right game against one of the worst run defenses in the league.

Denver’s running game ranks last in the league with 158.3 rushing yards per game and they coughed up 376 yards during an infamous 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 24. While the Broncos have improved since then, they also allowed 192 yards in last week’s win over the Buffalo Bills.