The first matchup of the season for Atlanta promises to be one of the most challenging. The Vikings are a team I like, both because Mike Zimmer is a Bobby Petrino-era Falcons survivor and because they have a lot of likeable players, but I’ll be putting that fondness aside this week for a tough battle.
The Vikings, despite the considerable shine on the Matt LaFleur-led Packers and the solid Bears team kicking around near them, should be considered the favorites in the NFC North. They’re at least solid across the board and capable of truly fearsome performances on both sides of the ball, though as you’d expect for a Mike Zimmer-coached team, the defense is nasty.