Five key matchups that will decide Vikings-Jets in London

These are the battles the Vikings must win to get to 5-0 this weekend.

Dec 4, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) drops a pass while New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed (4) defends during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

There's no let-up on the schedule for Kevin O'Connell and the Minnesota Vikings, who have established themselves as one of the best teams in the NFL so far.

Coming off three straight impressive wins over teams who made the divisional round of last season's playoffs, the 4-0 Vikings have another tough test this weekend as they travel to London to take on the Jets. New York is just 2-2 this season and reeling from an ugly loss against the Broncos last week, but with Aaron Rodgers, talented skill position weapons, and a dangerous defense, they have the pieces to give the Vikings some problems.

Here are five key matchups that will decide this Sunday's game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

1. Sam Darnold against the Jets' defense

Darnold was just named the NFC's offensive player of the month for September after leading the NFL in touchdown passes and passer rating in an undefeated month. He's been playing great football for O'Connell, even if his five turnover-worthy plays (via PFF) are something to clean up. Darnold looks comfortable and confident in this Vikings offense, delivering accurate and on-time passes while also using his legs to extend plays when needed.

The Vikings have already faced some quality defenses this year, but the Jets' D is arguably their toughest test yet. Robert Saleh's group finished 3rd in defensive DVOA last season and 6th in 2022. They have talented playmakers at all three levels, from cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed to front-seven standouts Quinnen Williams, Quincy Williams, Will McDonald IV, and Javon Kinlaw. If Darnold passes this test with another solid game, his MVP buzz will continue to grow as the Vikings head into their bye week.

2. Jefferson and Addison against Gardner and Reed

The Vikings got Addison back from an ankle injury last week against the Packers and he hit the ground running, scoring two touchdowns on just four total touches. He provides quite the complement to Jefferson, who has scored in all four games this season and continues to show why he's the best wide receiver on the planet. Both of the Vikings' wideouts are in for fun matchups this week against Jets cornerbacks Gardner and Reed, who might be the best duo in the league at that position.

Back in 2022, Jefferson was held to 45 yards and a touchdown against the Jets in a game the Vikings won despite only getting 173 passing yards on 35 attempts from Kirk Cousins.

"They're great corners," Jefferson said this week. "It doesn't matter what side you go to. The last matchup, it wasn't a big day for me yardage wise. We still got the dub and I still was able to get in the end zone. But yardage wise, it wasn't that big for me. So of course, this time around, I want to have a better yardage game, I want to get in the end zone. But it's definitely going to be tough going against those type of guys. But we live for those matchups. I always love going against those top tier corners."

3. Quinnen Williams against the Vikings' interior OL

Williams is off to a relatively slow start to this season with one sack and nine pressures in four games, but he remains one of the most dominant interior defensive linemen in the NFL. The two-time Pro Bowler and former first team All-Pro racked up 17.5 sacks and 122 pressures over the last two seasons before this one, which is just six fewer pressures than Dexter Lawrence had during that span. Williams is in that elite tier of game-wrecking defensive tackles, which means the Vikings' interior offensive linemen are going to have their hands full. Left guard Blake Brandel has been solid all year, but center Garrett Bradbury and right guard Ed Ingram are a bit shaky in pass protection. That's an area to watch, as usual.

4. Aaron Rodgers against Brian Flores' defense

Rodgers might be approaching his 41st birthday, but he still looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The four-time MVP and first-ballot Hall of Famer has seven big-time throws this year and not a single turnover-worthy play, according to PFF. He's the only QB in the league with at least 50 dropbacks and zero TWPs. Although the Jets' offense as a whole has been inconsistent during their 2-2 start, Rodgers is still making some jaw-dropping throws to guys like Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, and Mike Williams.

"I showed the guys some throws he's made this morning," O'Connell said on Wednesday. "I mean it's Aaron Rodgers, he's gonna go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to have played in our league. As special of a thrower of a football as maybe we've seen, and he's a super computer back there, sees everything and has the ability to check and get to whatever he wants to get to. It's going to be a heck of a challenge."

Look for Flores and the Vikings to follow the Broncos' blueprint and send all kinds of pressure at Rodgers, who is no longer as mobile as he once was. Denver blitzed on 49 percent of his dropbacks last week, which resulted in 14 QB hits and five sacks. Rodgers averaged fewer than 5.4 yards per attempt in that game, their running backs put up 2.1 yards per carry, and the Jets failed to score a touchdown.

As is always the case against Rodgers, Vikings defenders will have to be wary of his use of cadences and tempo to try to draw free plays and other penalties.

5. Vikings edge rushers against NYJ's struggling tackles

One of the big reasons why the Jets' offense has been fairly mediocre this season is the poor play of their offensive line. The interior (guards Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson and center Joe Tippmann) have been solid but unremarkable. The bigger issues have been on the edges. At left tackle, 33-year-old Tyron Smith no longer looks like the elite player he once was; he leads the Jets with 12 pressures and three sacks allowed. On the right side, first-round rookie Olu Fashanu made his first career start in place of the injured Morgan Moses last week and really struggled. He allowed five pressures in that game and will likely have his hands full with Jonathan Greenard on Sunday. If Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Pat Jones II can get after Rodgers, the Vikings might be in good shape to limit his overall effectiveness.