The Vikings will defeat the Panthers in Week 4 for the following three reasons.

If they lose to the winless Carolina Panthers in Week 4, will the Minnesota Vikings be ready to call it a season?

If someone had predicted the Minnesota Vikings would start the season 0-3 prior to the start of the season, most people would have likely dismissed them as crazy.

For Vikings supporters, this is the new reality, and each game now has a growing bearing on the team’s 2023 campaign.

Fortunately for Minnesota, their game is against a team that also happens to be 0-3: Adam Thielen and the Carolina Panthers.
It’s unlikely that the Vikings will leave this game without a victory because someone’s 0 has to go.

Stranger things have happened, so would trade rumors involving Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and pass rusher Danielle Hunter heat up if this Minnesota team lost this game?

Let’s examine a few reasons why Minnesota will leave Charlotte with a 1-3 record in order to prevent those trade discussions from becoming more likely.
To start, the Vikings are home to the best wide receiver in the NFL.

I don’t.
1.

The hapless Panthers cornerbacks will be no match for Justin Jefferson.

Through the first three weeks of the season, Justin Jefferson has 458 receiving yards to lead the NFL, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

There will be a ton of double coverage on Sunday for the All-Pro receiver. But eventually the Panthers and people like C will have to leave their isolated corners on an island.
J.
Some of Jefferson’s more advantageous season-long matchups appear to involve Henderson and Donte Jackson.

Even with two covers, Jefferson is still exposed.
With Carolina likely using two high safeties in this game and Jefferson likely facing double coverage for the majority of the matchup, Jefferson’s ability to attack the football is elite.

Jordan Addison, the Vikings’ rookie wide receiver, may now have more chances to have a successful day.
The offense of Minnesota, however, and Kirk Cousins heavily rely on Jefferson, as we have seen through the first three weeks of the season.

Object no.
2.

Here to save the day is Dalton Risner.

Fans of the Minnesota Vikings begged general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to sign former Denver Broncos guard Dalton Risner throughout the offseason and the first two weeks of the season.
The signing of Risner by Minnesota was then announced, fulfilling their wish just over a week prior.

This week, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell revealed that Risner had been receiving first-team reps at center, left guard, and right guard during practice.

On Sunday, Garrett Bradbury is anticipated to return from his back injury, so don’t anticipate Risner to play much, if at all, at center.

It would be negligent of O’Connell to use Risner elsewhere on the field if he is going to play any significant amount of time this weekend.

Most Minnesota supporters will concur that the team’s starting right guard, Ed Ingram, is absolutely terrible, and just having Risner on the team should improve the offensive line for the Vikings significantly.

Object no.
3.

Bryce Young’s lack of expertise.

Panthers fans can exhale knowing that rookie quarterback Bryce Young will be fine. But as of right now, it appears that the former signal-caller from Alabama is still figuring everything out.

Young missed Week 3 due to an ankle injury, and Carolina’s offense actually appeared more cohesive in that game with veteran Andy Dalton at the helm than they had in their first two games of the year with the rookie at the controls.

Week 4 doesn’t bring any relief for Young as he will have to play against the aggressive, fast-paced defense of Brian Flores, which has been leading the league in blitz rate through three weeks.