MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (KTRK) — In a Week 3 showdown, the Houston Texans look to maintain their winning streak against the Minnesota Vikings on the road on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams are unbeaten with identical records at 2-0, and a reunion of sorts for former Vikings, Stefon Diggs and Danielle Hunter.
Diggs was selected by the Vikings in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Not to mention, the four-time Pro Bowl wideout will set foot on the gridiron at U.S. Bank Stadium since his departure from Minnesota in 2020.
Hunter was drafted in the same year as Diggs, but was a third-round pick. In eight seasons with the Vikings, the veteran defensive end added four Pro Bowl selections to his résumé.
Concerning notable injuries to some of the Texans star players, Houston will be playing without running back Joe Mixon, who didn’t travel with the team to Minnesota due to an ankle injury.
During Wednesday’s practice, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned running back Cam Akers to get the reps with Mixon out for Sunday’s game.
“He did a good job for us, so we’ll see where Cam is as we go throughout the week as well,” Ryans said on Akers’ impact on the team heading into Week 3.
As for the Vikings, the team already lost rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy due to a season-ending injury after suffering a torn right meniscus in the NFL preseason. Despite Minnesota’s strong start in the first two games behind starting Vikings QB Sam Darnold, star wide receiver Justin Jefferson is expected to play against Houston despite a lingering quad injury.
In the city known as the “Twin Cities,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and his squad will face off against a tough Vikings’ defense, which has thrived early on within Minnesota’s first 2 games of the season.