Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings Picks and Prediction for Saturday, August 22, 2026
U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis hosts Preseason Week 2 at 1:00 PM ET as the Baltimore Ravens (1-0) visit the Minnesota Vikings (1-0) in a matchup between two clubs that arrive with very different energy after their respective preseason openers. Jesse Minter and the Baltimore Ravens carried on the tradition of dominating in the preseason left behind by John Harbaugh, cruising past the Philadelphia Eagles in their first preseason game. Baltimore's Joe Fagnano went 22-of-28 for 224 yards and a touchdown, an impressive backup-quarterback performance that gives the Ravens depth credibility. The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a 13-10 road victory over the New York Giants in their opening game of the preseason, where they outgained their opponents 238-201 yards. The teams held joint practices at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of Saturday's noon kickoff, ensuring both coaching staffs have already extracted the most valuable competitive evaluation from their first-team units before the Saturday backup showcase begins. Read on to find out who takes the W in our Ravens vs. Vikings preseason prediction. Get our top NFL Predictions and increase your bankroll!
Vikings: Murray Named the Starter
Kyler Murray was officially named the Vikings' starting quarterback on August 12, 2026, ending a training camp competition with J.J. McCarthy, a decision that clarifies the depth chart heading into Saturday but also means Minnesota's best offensive weapon will almost certainly not be on the field for most of the afternoon. While Kyler Murray isn't going to suit up, Minnesota's quarterback options behind him offer more depth than Baltimore's comparable situation. J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and potentially Max Brosmer will likely share quarterback duties Saturday at home.
Jefferson and newly named starting quarterback Kyler Murray have been starting to click at practice, but the joint practices served as the primary vehicle for that first-team chemistry building, meaning Saturday's game puts the backup evaluation front and center. Carson Wentz led Minnesota in Week 1 with 9 completions on 14 attempts for 81 passing yards with one touchdown, a serviceable outing from a veteran quarterback whose NFL experience gives the Vikings' backup corps a more proven commodity than the Ravens can match at the equivalent roster position. Rookie cornerback Charles Demmings has made waves since the start of training camp, and his performance against Baltimore's receivers will be closely monitored on the defensive side.
The Vikings have a 5-2 straight-up record in their last seven preseason games, and Minnesota is 4-2 against the spread in preseason games with totals of 42 or less, the precise total context that Saturday's 36.5 falls directly into. The home advantage at U.S. Bank Stadium's climate-controlled dome environment removes weather as a variable and gives the Vikings the acoustic home-field edge that has been one of the most reliable preseason advantages in the NFC North.
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Ravens: Minter's Preseason Debut Was Dominant
Jesse Minter is making his second game as an NFL head coach. He was hired by Baltimore on January 22, 2026 after John Harbaugh was fired at the end of the 2025 season. Minter comes from the defensive side, he was the Chargers' defensive coordinator in 2024 and 2025, won a national title as Michigan's defensive coordinator in 2023, and was actually a Ravens defensive assistant from 2017 to 2020 before this. This is his first-ever preseason road game as a head coach. First-year head coaches in road environments tend to be more conservative and less certain about game management than veteran coaches at home.
There are going to be opportunities for Ravens wide receivers this season, and their 2026 fourth-round draft pick out of Indiana, Elijah Sarratt, has already made an impression, hauling in six receptions for 66 yards in the Ravens' first preseason game. The Ravens want to decide on a starting center soon after Danny Pinter's knee injury in Wednesday's joint practice, and the tape from this game will help the coaching staff make its choice between Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic. The center competition adds another position battle dimension to what is already a talent-evaluation-heavy Saturday afternoon for Baltimore's coaching staff.
Baltimore's 278 completions in the 2025 regular season were the fewest in the entire NFL, they're a heavy run team and that's not changing under Minter, who's a defense-first coach. When the Ravens are running a run-heavy scheme in preseason with backups, they don't sustain long touchdown drives. The Ravens have won their last four preseason games and are 4-0 against the spread in their last four preseason contests, a dominant record built predominantly under Harbaugh that Minter has extended through Week 1. However, the spread has moved in the Vikings' favor as the week progressed, with Minnesota's home advantage and quarterback depth edge driving the line adjustment.
Ravens vs. Vikings Picks
- Money Line Pick: Baltimore Ravens
Both starters are projected to play at least a few snaps in this preseason game. The Ravens' backup quarterbacks looked impressive in Week 1, Joe Fagnano went 22-of-28 for 224 yards and a touchdown. The more J.J. McCarthy plays in this one, the more appealing the Ravens' chances look. The Ravens are 4-0 against the spread in their last four preseason games, 3-0 both straight up and against the spread as underdogs in the preseason. Minter's debut was dominant, Fagnano's backup-quarterback performance was significantly more impressive than anything the Vikings' Week 1 backup corps produced, and the Ravens' defensive identity under a defense-first coach gives Baltimore the structural edge in a low-scoring game where the unit that limits the opponent's backup offense wins. Take Baltimore at plus money.
- Over/Under Pick: Under 36.5
The total dropped from 38.5 to 36.5, and that drop makes sense. Baltimore's 278 completions in 2025 were the fewest in the entire NFL, they're a heavy run team. When the Ravens are running a run-heavy scheme in preseason with backups, they don't sustain long touchdown drives. Meanwhile, Minnesota's 30 turnovers in 2025 were the most in the NFL. Under O'Connell, the Vikings have prioritized ball security in preseason as an evaluation metric, meaning they've been generally conservative with play-calling. Two teams playing methodical, run-oriented preseason football against strong home preparation is the profile of a low-scoring game. Minnesota is 4-2 against the spread in preseason games with totals of 42 or less, and 36.5 is well below that threshold. Take the Under 36.5 and back two conservative, run-first coaching staffs to keep this game well below the posted number.
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