Vikings score predictions for battle of losing streaks against Commanders

Either the Vikings or Commanders are going to get their first victory in a while on Sunday.

Nov 6, 2022; Landover, Maryland, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (L) exchanges jerseys with Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) after their game at FedExField. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Someone's losing streak is ending this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium. Sunday's game pits the 4-8 Vikings, who have lost four in a row, against the 3-9 Commanders, losers of seven straight. Both of these teams won at least 12 games and made the playoffs a year ago, but their 2025 seasons have been defined by injuries and disappointment.

The Vikings will look to snap out of their recent offensive funk and see some progress from J.J. McCarthy, who returns after a one-game absence and has a new mentality heading into the final month of the season. The Commanders haven't experienced a win in two months, but their chances are boosted by the return of Jayden Daniels after missing three games. It's an intriguing quarterback matchup between a pair of 2024 top-10 picks who have had vastly different starts to their careers.

The winner of this game will feel better about itself afterwards. The loser's fan base will have the consolation prize of moving closer to an early draft pick next April.

So who wins this one? Our staff writers have made their predictions.

Will Ragatz: Vikings 26, Commanders 24

Even with Daniels back for Washington, my gut tells me the Vikings are going to win this game. Four straight losses ties the longest streak of the Kevin O'Connell era, and I still think both O'Connell and Brian Flores are very good coaches. I like the idea of McCarthy playing more freely from a mental standpoint, and if there were ever a week for him to have a nice bounce-back game, it would be against the Commanders' abysmal defense. McCarthy is due to win a game at home after an 0-3 start and Justin Jefferson is extremely due for a big day. It'll be a close one between a couple bad teams, but the Vikings pull it out.

I'd also like to note that it would be very on-brand for the Vikings to win this one when they have a chance to improve their draft positioning with a loss.

Joe Nelson: Commanders 23, Vikings 20

While it's right to think that a terrible Commanders defense could be the cure for a struggling Vikings offense, it's also true that the cure for Washington's terrible defense is Minnesota's putrid offense. Which way will the Vikings and Commanders fall on that tight rope? I'm usually the eternal optimist, but there's no reason to believe J.J. McCarthy, in a dumbed-down game plan, is going to suddenly flip the switch and avoid catastrophic throws. And I'm confident that Jayden Daniels, with Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, will be capable of avoiding catastrophe and doing just enough to beat a very good Vikings defense.

Editor's note: This is a historic moment. For the first time since the start of last season, Joe is predicting a Vikings defeat.

Tony Liebert: Commanders 26, Vikings 13

Morale around the entire Vikings franchise seems to be as low as it's been in quite some time after last week’s disaster in Seattle. It's another fairly tough test this week against the Commanders and QB Jayden Daniels, who returns to the lineup. I have seen zero evidence in recent weeks that would make me think Minnesota will win this game. I think this one could be close, but it's just too hard to trust the Vikings right now.

Jonathan Harrison: Commanders 20, Vikings 17

Minnesota has lost four straight, while Washington has lost seven straight. What a premier matchup this one ended up being. Can the dumbed-down offense help J.J. McCarthy put in a good performance against a Washington defense that has been bad this season? The return of Jayden Daniels will surely give a spark to the Washington offense, and provide another threat for the Vikings defense to be aware of. This isn't going to an eye-pleasing game of football, but neither team will run away with it on Sunday. Commanders end their losing streak and get a narrow win over the Vikings.

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Here are last week's predictions and our season records:

• Will: 7-5
• Tony: 6-6
• Joe: 4-8
• Jonathan: 4-8