Vikes fan here. Got to say y'all have a nice board.
To the predictions:
Vikings need to get off to a good start. If not, you can stick a fork in us because of your pass rush and crowd noise. I think Quinn might be the best defensive end in the game. That being said, your D-line looks to be more suited to rush the passer which bodes well for Peterson.
Cordarelle Patterson is an absolute stud. He is poised for an absolute breakout season and will be thrust into Josh Gordon's role in Norv Turner's offense. Also, Kyle Rudolph has great hands and is a very dangerous red zone target. I wouldn't worry as much about Jennings.
Defensively we are good on the D-line. Floyd is going to have a big year and so is Everson Griffen. Our linebackers are weak in coverage. If you get a RB or TE matched up with Jasper Brinkley we are done. Our first round pick Anthony Barr looks very promising as a pass rusher. He plays our strong side linebacker and you will see him blitzing quite often. You could also see him lined up at defensive end on 3rd and long situations with Everson Griffen or Brian Robison moving inside.
The secondary is kind of bleh. We are expecting big things out of Xavier Rhodes this year, but it's so early in the season to know how much he has really improved. Harrison Smith is a star. Captain Munnerlyn is definitely an upgrade over what we had last year. Absolutely no depth beyond that and we should struggle in nickel packages.
Bottom line is we absolutely love our new coaching staff and it is a huge upgrade over Leslie Frazier and Bill Musgrave. We are very optimistic about the coming season and I have no idea what to expect record wise. I honestly think the Vikings have this one, but maybe I've been drinking too much Kool-Aid. 31-24 Vikes.
Rams will also want a good start. I think they'll hit their comfort zone when they can play field position ground and pound football which they do very well.
The Rams pass rush is probably the best in the NFL. Vikings won't be dropping back and having their way with the Rams via the air. Expect turnovers.
AP is one of the best rushers in the game. Rams have gone from 15th last they met to 9th last season. Will Greg Williams elevate them even more this season? We think so but it is a question mark.
Britt was added to give the Rams a "go up and fight for it" big bodied receiver. When he started OTAs we could see immediately he had fire and looked to be fighting back to his old self. The surprise for us was Quick came with him. Quick is very similar in size and athleticism, but being from a small school, was slow to develop. We have high hopes for this pair as they are the perfect type of target for Hill's style of passing. Throw in Tavon Austin and Jared Cook for high speed explosiveness and Kendricks and Pettis for sure hands and it rounds out a strong stable of pass catchers.
Stacy and Cunningham are solid running backs. They have Watts and Masson behind them who are both slippery rookies.
Rams secondary has talent but are still unproven under Williams as a group. If there's a weak link, that's probably it.
You're smart to play it safe on the season predictions. If anyone can warn you to temper the expectations with new coaching and a rebuild, Rams' fans can.
New coach / new QB / new scheme / first NFL game together / suspect defense = Rams win. They have paid their dues, spent the money, raised their rookies, and are primed for their entrance onto the big stage.