Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah looked to make a splash move ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Houston General Manager Nick Caserio hoped to do the same and called Adofo-Mensah with an offer.
The trade proposal involved a pair of pick swaps in the upcoming draft – Minnesota would acquire the 23rd and 232nd overall selections, while Houston would obtain the 42nd and 188th overall picks. Additionally, the Texans would get a second-round selection in 2025.
Adofo-Mensah agreed to the offer, giving the Vikings an additional first-round pick to go with their spot at 11th overall. That wasn't the only move Adofo-Mensah made.
Just over a month later, during the first night of the draft, Minnesota sent the No. 11, 129 and 157 picks to the New York Jets in exchange for the 10th and 203rd overall selections. The Vikings later swapped with Jacksonville, sending the Jaguars the 23rd and 167th overall picks, and a 2025 third- and fourth-round pick in exchange for the 17th overall selection.
Minnesota went on to select QB J.J. McCarthy and OLB Dallas Turner with the 10th and 17th overall picks, respectively.
The Texans? Caserio had other ideas apart from the draft board, as Houston used the 2025 second-round pick obtained from Minnesota to acquire All-Pro wide receiver and former Viking Stefon Diggs in a trade with Buffalo.
When Minnesota hosts Houston on Sunday, Diggs will face his original team for the second time in his career and make his first trip to U.S. Bank Stadium since his departure in 2020. The "Minneapolis Miracle" receiver isn't the only player facing his old squad in the matchup, as former Texans Blake Cashman, Jonathan Greenard, Shaq Griffin, Kamu Grugier-Hill and David Quessenberry will suit up for Minnesota. Former Vikings Danielle Hunter, Cam Akers and Kris Boyd will join Diggs on Houston's sideline. Former Vikings QB Case Keenum is also on the Texans roster, but he is on Injured Reserve and won't travel to Sunday's game.
The Vikings and Texans are two of the nine teams who have opened the season 2-0. Minnesota has won all five meetings with Houston in series, with the past two victories coming in 2016 (31-13 in Minnesota) and 2020 (31-23 at Houston). The Vikings are the only team besides the Eagles (6-0) that have a perfect record against the Texans.
Let's see who the experts are picking to win the game:
Vikings 24, Texans 21 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
This is a big game between two undefeated teams. The Vikings are a surprise team, while the Texans were expected to be good. The Minnesota defense has been really good. They will throw a ton of looks at C.J. Stroud. I think that will be the difference in the game. They will force a turnover and get a lot of pressure. The Vikings win a close one.
Texans 27, Vikings 21 – Staff, Bleacher Report
In one of two matchups between unbeaten teams, the Houston Texans will go on the road to face a surprising Minnesota Vikings squad that beat the San Francisco 49ers 23-17 at home last week.
Under Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, an established play-caller, Sam Darnold is playing his best football. In two games, he has thrown for four touchdowns and two interceptions with a 72-percent completion rate.
[Bleacher Report NFL analyst Kristopher] Knox sees this matchup as a potential statement game for Darnold, but he expects the Vikings quarterback to struggle against the Texans third-ranked total defense in a loss.
"This game will tell us a lot about just how good the Vikings are," Knox said. "Last week's convincing win over San Francisco showed that Minnesota can be a player in the NFC race, and there are plenty of reasons to believe that game wasn't a fluke. Brian Flores has the defense clicking, Justin Jefferson is as dangerous as ever, and Darnold is providing above-average quarterback play.
"That said, I have a feeling that Darnold comes back to earth a bit against a Texans defense that can make life miserable for opposing signal-callers," Knox added. "Jefferson (quad) may not be at 100 percent, and we still don't know the status of Jordan Addison, who missed last week's game with an ankle injury. Houston survived a sloppy game against Chicago last Sunday, and I think a more focused effort gets them a win in this one."
Vikings 26, Texans 24 – Bill Bender, Sporting News
The Vikings are a surprise 2-0 team, and Sam Darnold is delivering consistent production with better protection – and Justin Jefferson, of course. Jefferson has eight catches on 11 targets and averages 24 yards per catch. C.J. Stroud is 4-4 S/U in four career road starts. He will establish the connection with Stefon Diggs, who has 10 catches on 12 targets with two TDs. Diggs, however, averages 8.0 yards per catch. The Vikings steal another one here and begin to emerge as a real threat to win the NFC North.
Texans 20, Vikings 17 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
The Texans and Vikings traded some pass-rush pop in [free agency this] offseason with Danielle Hunter and Jonathan Greenard swapping places. These defenses are nasty and can get around everywhere to go after Sam Darnold and C.J. Stroud, neither of whom will benefit from good running game balance. In an ugly game, take the better QB with better, healthier weapons to make the winning plays.
2 of 6 experts pick the Vikings, The MMQB
3 of 11 experts pick the Vikings, ESPN
1 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, Bleacher Report
4 of 9 experts pick the Vikings, The Athletic
