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Minnesota looked very confident in themselves on the way to a big win over the 49ers!
Final: San Francisco 49ers 17 Minnesota Vikings 23 Stats: Minnesota: QB: S. Darnold 17/26 268 yds 2 TD 1 INT 109.1 rtg RB: T. Chandler 5 car 82 yds 8.2 avg 25 long A. Jones 9 car 32 yds 3.6 avg 9 long (5 rec 36 yds) WR: J. Jefferson 4 rec 133 yds 33.3 avg 1 TD 97 long J. Nailor 3 rec 54 yds 18.0 avg 1 TD 26 long T. Sherfield Sr 1 rec 17 yds B. Powell 2 rec 16 yds 8.0 avg 11 long J. Mundt 2 rec 12 yds 6.0 avg 6 long DEF: J. Ward 1 fumble recovery J. Metellus 1 INT P. Jones II 2 sack B. Cashman 1 sack A. Van Ginkel 1 sack J. Greenard 1 sack Team 1 sack K: W. Reichard 3/3 FG (22, 39, 27) 2/2 XP Game summary: Minnesota didn't come out swinging this game. But neither did San Francisco. Both teams traded punts, until Minnesota was able to recovered a muffed punt by San Francisco. This setup Will Reichard's first field goal of the day from 22 yards. Next, the Niners had drown up a persistent drive, with multiple 3rd down conversions and even a 4th down conversion. However, they were held short of the goal line by the Vikings defense. Two plays later, Sam Darnold would launch a throw downfield for Justin Jefferson who would catch it and take it 97 yards for the first touchdown of the day! It went down as Minnesota's second longest touchdown in franchise history. San Francisco would punch in a touchdown of their own with just under 2 minutes left in the first half. Minnesota would manage a 39 yard field goal right as time expired. In the second half, Minnesota opened the scoring with a 10 yard pass from Darnold to Jalen Nailor. In the 4th, San Francisco started to gain some momentum and scored a touchdown untouched for 10 yards. Minnesota was able to answer back with a 27 yard field goal to push the lead back to two scores. Then the Niners got the ball back and were able to reach field goal range, and booted a 31 yard field goal to make it a one score game. Fortunately for Minnesota, they recovered the onside kick attempt and were able to end the game. Overall it was a good performance by Minnesota, with plenty of positives in a no-expectations season. Ty Chandler looked quite impressive at times, and the connection between Darnold and Jefferson is looking quite strong right now. Minnesota's other wide receivers also made quite the difference, including Jalen Nailor. Injury Report WR Justin Jefferson left the game late in the 3rd quarter with a quad injury. From what Justin said after the game, it does not sound like a serious injury and he expects to be ready for next Sunday's game. EDGE Dallas Turner left the game in the 4th quarter with what appeared to be a knee injury. There is not much information yet on his status, so we will find out in the coming days just how serious (or not) this injury is. Up Next Next week, the Vikings will host the high-flying Houston Texans, which will also feature the return of former Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs to US Bank Stadium. Kickoff is at 12 PM CT. #SKOL
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The Minnesota Vikings have won their season opener!
Final: Minnesota Vikings 28 New York Giants 6 Stats: Minnesota: QB: S. Darnold 19/24 208 yds 2 TD 1 INT 113.2 rtg RB: A. Jones 14 car 94 yds 6.7 avg 1 TD (2 rec 15 yds) T. Chandler 8 car 17 yds 2.1 avg (3 rec 25 yds) WR: J. Jefferson 4 rec 59 yds 14.8 avg 1 TD 44 long J. Addison 3 rec 35 yds 11.7 avg 16 long J. Oliver 2 rec 27 yds 13.5 avg 22 long J. Nailor 1 rec 21 yds 1 TD 21 long DEF: P. Jones II 2 sacks A. Van Ginkel 1 sack 1 INT (returned for a TD) D. Turner 1 sack H. Phillips 1 sack H. Smith 1 INT K: W. Reichard 4/4 XP Game summary: The Vikings and Giants each did not start the game right. Both teams didn't score on their first drives. Minnesota's CJ Ham fumbled on the Vikings second drive which led to the Giants field goal which was the first of the day. Minnesota would answer not long after though with a 3 yard rushing score from RB Aaron Jones for his first TD in purple. In the 2nd quarter, Minnesota added more on with a nice pass from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson for their first touchdown connection of the season. On that drive, Jefferson also caught a 44 yard pass that Darnold just laid in his hands practically. In the 2nd half, the Vikings came out swinging on their first drive. They would score on a 21 yard pass from Darnold to Jalen Nailor to go out 21-3. The Giants would drive and kick a 50 yard field goal on their next drive. While Minnesota would go three-and-out on their next possession, the Giants' Daniel Jones had lots of issues today. One of them was Andrew Van Ginkel, who intercepted a low out route and returned it for six! This put Minnesota up 28-6 and that would just about do it. Neither team was very productive on offense after that, and the game just continued to whittle down. I was impressed by Sam Darnold's consistency today, especially as player that has not had much success since being drafted 5 years ago. Darnold rarely threw a ball that could even be intercepted. The one pick he threw was tipped by the receiver and caught by the defender. If Darnold can be this consisten for the Vikings this season, the team could actually make some waves. Aaron Jones also looked solid for the team today. Injury Update WR Jordan Addison had dealt with an ankle injury during training camp, and it appeared he reinjured it at the end of the 2nd quarter. He did not play the rest of the game, and I would expect him to be sidelined for at least one game. Up Next Next week, the Vikings will come back to Minneapolis for the home opener against last year's Super Bowl runner ups - the San Francisco 49ers. Kickoff is at 12 PM CT. #SKOL Well, a whole lot has changed since I discussed the Vikings upcoming season with you all, and probably not in a good way.
What Has Changed? That question has a long answer. First, the unfortunate and tragic passing of the Vikings 4th round pick from this year's draft, Khyree Jackson. Jackson had not even played an NFL snap before he had his life taken from him by a drunk driver. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with Jackson's family as they grieve the loss of Khyree, as well as his two high school friends that were also in the car when the fatal accident occurred. The Vikings organization has decided to pay out Khyree's contract to his estate, and will be honoring him during this season by placing patches on the back of all the helmets and has painted a patch out at the Eagan practice facility outdoor fields. I don't normally do this, but I cannot stress this enough: do not drink and drive! Be responsible and get a ride home or have a designated driver, as it saves lives when you do. The Vikings have had multiple injuries during the preseason. The most notable being rookie QB JJ McCarthy tearing his meniscus. He had it fully repaired after the first preseason game, and he will be unable to play this season. Next is the injury to starting corner Mekhi Blackmon, who tore his ACL in practice. Linebacker Gabriel Murphy is also injured to start the season with an undisclosed ailment. The Vikings are targeting a Week 5 return for Murphy. Just recently, Minnesota announced two more injury-related news clippings. Linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk has been placed on injured reserve and is available to return in Week 5 as well. Tight end TJ Hockenson, who tore both his ACL and MCL in a game against Detroit last season, is targeted to return in either Week 6 or 7. There were other players that were injured during the preseason, but it seems plenty of them will be ready to start the season. One of them being WR Jordan Addison who had plenty of issues this summer. Addison was caught drinking and driving in LA not long after Khyree Jackson was killed by a drunk driver, so that struck a chord for many Vikings fans. Addison also had ankle issues late in camp, but it appears he will start the season. Other things have changed as well, that are not injuries. Minnesota released former first round pick Lewis Cine at the last roster cut deadline a couple weeks ago. Cine was buried on the depth chart towards the end of last season and while he had started to turn things around - it was too little too late for the 3rd year safety. He was later picked up by the Bills. Rookie kicker Will Reichard out of Alabama will be Minnesota's kicker to start the season after competition John Parker Romo was released mid-way through camp. CB Stephon Gilmore was signed to a one year deal last week to shore up the lack of depth in the secondary due to injuries. Expectations... Honestly, I don't have any for this year. Now, when I wrote the schedule preview, I had some idea of how this team might do this year, but after training camp - I have no clue what this team will do. We knew that QB Sam Darnold would start the year for the Vikings regardless of how well McCarthy would do in camp, and now that JJ is out - Darnold will be the presumed starter for the year unless any issues arise. Since the team cut Kene Kwangwu at the end of camp, Ty Chandler will serve as the team's number 2 running back behind veteran Aaron Jones. The defense is still a little shaky as for who will start. I expect this team's ceiling to be around 9 wins, and the floor to be around 4 wins. I definitely do not expect the team to make the playoffs and would not be surprised if they finish last in the NFC North this year with the Bears presumably making a big step forward as well as the Lions and Packers being tough teams following last season. I expect this team to win 7 games this year and go 7-10. Up Next The Vikings start the season on Sunday afternoon in New York as they will play the Giants at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is at 12 PM CT. SKOL! Alright, now that the Vikings 2024 schedule has been revealed, its time to go over and discuss it!
First I want to say, that this year is more unpredictable in my opinion due to that Minnesota is kind of expecting an somewhat off year with a 21 year old QB waiting in the wings. I will of course venture a guess here. Week 1: @ New York Giants 9/8 12 PM The Vikings will open the season in the Big Apple playing the G-men. The last time Minnesota play the Giants was when they lost to them in the 2022 wild-card round at home. Both teams aren't too different from when that game was played. The Vikings have built their defense a bit better since those days, and the Giants have added some key pieces on offense. Of course, both teams have let go of key pieces such as QB Kirk Cousins and RB Saquon Barkley. I expect this game to actually be fairly close, this will really depend just how well either team's offense will be playing. Prediction: Minnesota wins 24-21 Record: 1-0 Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers 9/15 12 PM Minnesota's home opener will be against the Super Bowl runner-ups from last season. The Vikings played the Niners last season and won on Monday Night Football, which at the time was a pretty big win! I think this season might go a bit differently then that. The 49ers are definitely the better team, and Minnesota isn't quite up to the task of taking them down at this point. Prediction: San Francisco wins 34-24 Record: 1-1 Week 3: vs. Houston Texans 9/22 12 PM The Vikings will play two home games in a row, and two tough opponents as well. Houston may very well compete for the AFC Championship game this year, as they are LOADED! Former Vikings DE Danielle Hunter will be returning to Minnesota for the first time since signing with the Texans in the offseason. This is a similar script to the 49ers game, Houston is the vastly better team right now and Minnesota just doesn't have the throwing prowess yet. Prediction: Houston wins 31-27 Record: 1-2 Week 4: @ Green Bay Packers 9/29 12 PM The first NFC North game will come in week 4, with a visit to Lambeau Field. This rivalry always has some surprises in store. Last year, Minnesota dominated the Packers in their own stadium but also lost Kirk Cousins for the season in the process. This will be a different game then that, and the Packers will be the aggressor. I have been very bullish on Sam Darnold so far as the Vikings starting QB, but he won't be a terrible option for Minnesota to trot out there before JJ McCarthy is ready. This is a great time then to mention that I think the Vikings will beat the Packers in at least 1 game this season, and this is the one I am choosing. Its early on in the season so folks are still finding their footing, including the Pack. Prediction: Minnesota wins 26-23 Record: 2-2 Week 5: vs. New York Jets 10/6 8:30 AM (London) The Vikings will cross the pond for the first time since 2022. Minnesota is 3-0 all time in the UK. So this game could go a few different ways. If Rodgers is playing for New York then the Vikings could very well lose. I am actually going to side with Minnesota here though. There is a good reason why Minnesota hasn't lost in London, and I don't think that changes this year despite the Jets predicted resurgence. Prediction: Minnesota wins 28-21 Record: 3-2 Week 6 Bye Not exactly a favorable bye from the NFL this year, but it makes sense since it follows the Vikings' trip to the UK - as the NFL will routinely give bye weeks the week following an international trip. Week 7: vs. Detroit Lions 10/20 12 PM This will be Minnesota's first look at the Lions this year, who are coming off their first NFC North title (see their lone banner at Ford Field). Detroit has high hopes for this year, after reaching the NFC Championship game for the first time in over three decades. I don't really think the Vikings will have much business being in this game, and will respectfully bow out. Prediction: Detroit wins 31-17 Record: 3-3 Week 8: @ Los Angeles Rams 10/24 7:15 PM (Thursday Night Football) Minnesota will indeed play their first primetime game of the season on TNF, which is on Prime Video again this year. This will be Kevin O'Connell's first time coaching against his former team since he joined the Vikings in 2022. LA isn't exactly the team they were when KOC was last with them. They made the postseason last year but didn't win a game. Defensive stalwart Aaron Donald decided to retire after last season, so that is a huge hole they will be trying to fill. I think Minnesota has a decent chance in this game. Darnold and JJ could have quite the fun time dismantling LA's defense. Prediction: Minnesota wins 35-28 Record: 4-3 Week 9: vs. Indianapolis Colts 11/3 12 PM The Vikings will be playing the Colts for the first time since the biggest comeback in NFL history in 2022 when the purple won in overtime. Indianapolis hopes to have promising QB Anthony Richardson back this season after he suffered a season ending injury early last season. Either way, I think this will be a fairly even game. Prediction: Minnesota wins 24-17 Record: 5-3 Week 10: @ Jacksonville Jaguars 11/10 12 PM This will be the Vikings first trip back to Jacksonville since 2016. Minnesota has only lost to the Jaguars once, back in 2001. These two teams last met in 2020 which the Vikings won. If Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence plays like he did for the majority of last season, he could prove to be a challenge for Minnesota. I am not sure we win this win, especially out in the sunshine state. Prediction: Jacksonville wins 38-24 Record: 5-4 Week 11: @ Tennessee Titans 11/17 12 PM Another first in a while for the Vikings. Minnesota has also not been to Nissan Stadium since 2016. The last game between the two was a 1 point loss at US Bank Stadium in 2020. Tennessee isn't exactly the playoff contender they used to be, this is one I think the Vikings could definitely win. Prediction: Minnesota wins 31-21 Record: 6-4 Week 12: @ Chicago Bears 11/24 12 PM Minnesota will face the new look Bears for the first time in Week 12. Chicago hopes that rookie QB Caleb Williams will lead them to the promise land. In the interest of parity, I am going to say there will be a Chicago win here. But these games are always ugly and very close - which means a lot of frustration for fans. Prediction: Chicago wins 17-10 Record: 6-5 Week 13: vs. Arizona Cardinals 12/1 12 PM This game will start a 3 game homestand after a 3 game road trip. Minnesota will be going for another win over the Cardinals. In recent history, they have had favorable results against the team from the desert. While Arizona will be trying to reclaim that magic they had a few years ago, I think Minnesota is able to win this. Prediction: Minnesota wins 24-19 Record: 7-5 Week 14: vs. Atlanta Falcons 12/8 12 PM This will be a really interesting game. It will be Kirk Cousins' first game back in Minnesota after signing with Atlanta in free agency. I am not sure how well received he will be, I suppose that depends on how well the Vikings are doing by that point. Either way, I think Kirk gets the win over his former team. Prediction: Atlanta wins 22-21 Record: 7-6 Week 15: vs. Chicago Bears 12/16 7 PM (Monday Night Football) This is the yearly game that Vikings fans ask "why is this on national TV?" It seems that the NFL likes to put one or both of the Minnesota-Chicago matchups on national TV, and this one could be the most lopsided yet. However, I think Minnesota will win one of the matchups, so here it is. Prediction: Minnesota wins 21-17 Record: 8-6 Week 16: @ Seattle Seahawks 12/22 3:05 PM Minnesota rarely plays well at Lumen Field. There was a string of seasons that the two teams played at Lumen Field 3 years in a row. Unfortunately, this string of losses is probably going to continue. Prediction: Seattle wins 31-21 Record: 8-7 Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers 12/29 12 PM The Vikings will host Green Bay on the second to last week of the season for the second year in a row. Last year was a complete disaster, and with Green Bay most likely fighting for playoff positioning - it will be again. Its alright for Minnesota, as I don't think JJ McCarthy sees the field at all this season. Prediction: Green Bay wins 38-21 Record: 8-8 Week 18: @ Detroit Lions TBD Minnesota will again finish the season in Detroit, after falling to the division champs at the end of last season. The Vikings aren't really going to fare well against the Lions, especially in the Motor City this year. Again, that's alright - as I don't expect JJ McCarthy to play. Prediction: Detroit wins 41-19 Record: 8-9 Final Record: 8-9, No Playoffs. Alright, now we wait another few months for the season to actually start. Until next time folks! #SKOL Alright, now that the dust has settled on the draft. Lets take a look at what the Vikings did in the 2024 draft. I will be going pick-by-pick and analyzing the draftee and any trades the Vikings conducted around those picks.
Round 1 Pick 10: J.J. McCarthy (QB - Michigan) Minnesota traded up one spot from the 11th pick with the New York Jets to select the fifth QB in the draft, JJ McCarthy. While we might look back on this in a few years and doubt the reasons for trading up, I don't think we will have any doubts about whether drafting McCarthy was the right choice. JJ was a multi-year starter for the 2023 champ Wolverines and has done everything his team asked of him. His former coach, now the head coach of the LA Chargers, Jim Harbaugh has had no shortage of good things to say about McCarthy in the last several months, and it sounds like McCarthy's wish was to play for the Vikings. At the moment, seems like this could be a perfect match for both sides. Obviously, a lot remains to be seen about how McCarthy will or won't develop in the NFL. He will have no shortage of weapons around him and plenty of protection in front of him whenever he does make his NFL debut. Now, the trade the team conducted to nab McCarthy: Minnesota receives: No. 10 overall, No. 203 overall New York receives: No. 11 overall, No. 129 overall, and No. 157 overall Not sure if this will be great for future draft capital, but the Vikings got the QB they wanted and for the immediate future this is all that matters. Round 1 Pick 17: Dallas Turner (EDGE - Alabama) Well, before the draft began, Minnesota had possession of picks 11 and 23. Suddenly in the middle of the first round the Vikings traded up with the Jaguars to grab Dallas Turner, who almost everyone didn't think would fall this far down the board. Turner was by far the best edge rusher in the draft this year and Minnesota couldn't just watch him fall to someone else before they could pick him at 23. This trade will most likely be more then worth it! Turner is the edge rusher that will most definitely replace longtime Viking Danielle Hunter who signed with Houston before the draft. I am looking forward to seeing how Turner plays for the purple and gold! Trade: Minnesota receives: No. 17 overall Jacksonville receives: No. 23 overall, No. 167 overall, 2025 3rd round, 2025 4th round Round 4 Pick 8: Khyree Jackson (CB - Oregon) A whole lotta folks like Jackson's outlook in the NFL, and while I am not too familiar with his game - he comes from a school with some good defenses. So, I of course like him too! Picking a defensive back in the 4th round isn't a bad option for Kwesi since the defense continues to improve. I think Brian Flores is going to revel in the opportunity to coach Jackson to be a great corner for Minnesota. Round 6 Pick 1: Walter Rouse (OT - Oklahoma) Rouse projects to be a good left tackle in the pros and can hold his ground against edge rushers. It will be interesting to see how he can do against the pro edge rushers that are commonly seen in this league. I wouldn't expect him to start though with the Vikings o-line in a good spot right now. Round 6 Pick 27: Will Reichard (PK - Alabama) Reichard broke the NCAA's career points record in his senior season. He is a decently accurate place kicker with high hopes moving to the pro level. Minnesota could very well start Will this season, as his main competition will be John Parker Romo who was signed back in March. The Vikings kicker from the last several seasons, Greg Joseph, walked in free agency and signed with Green Bay in March. Round 7 Pick 10: Michael Jurgens (C - Wake Forest) Another great depth pick from Kwesi, Jurgens was a strong center for Wake Forest. He would do pretty well if thrust into the lineup at some point this next season. I am not sure about his future prospects though, that remains to be seen. Round 7 Pick 12: Levi Drake Rodriguez (DT - Texas A&M-Commerce) Most folks will discount Rodriguez due to the talent level he faced at the FCS level, but I don't think that changes the fact that he has real raw talent. He will probably sit lower on the depth chart for a couple years before seeing any game action, however Minnesota's interior defensive line is not nearly as strong as it used to be - so Levi could get a shot this year. Overall, I think Minnesota had a good draft this year. They got what they wanted. Next year will be a different story but if Kwesi wants more draft picks next year, he has time to get them. Can't wait for training camp to begin!!! #SKOL Since we are in the middle of Pro Bowl weekend, figured it would be a good time to review what the 2023 Vikings season was, and what comes next.
My Preseason Expectations I had expected the Vikings finishing first in the North with a 12-5 record, in front of the 10-7 Packers, 10-7 Lions, and 7-10 Bears. Obviously, this didn't happen. The year finished with the Lions claiming their first NFC North title at 13-4 and the Packers making the playoffs as a wild card at 9-8. The Vikings and Bears both missed the playoffs with 7-10 records. What Happened?? Well, Minnesota got off to a rough start at the beginning of the year, losing 4 of their first 5 games. Their only win came against a woeful Carolina Panthers team. Then, they rattled off 5 straight wins. However, the real bump came in Week 8 when the Vikings dismantled the Packers at Lambeau Field, which should have been a joyous occasion for Vikings fans. However, midway through the 4th quarter, Kirk Cousins appeared to have torn his Achilles on the Lambeau Field turf and limped off the field. Rookie QB Jaren Hall would finish the game, which was very much in hand by this point. Up to this point, the Vikings were surging - despite losing star WR Justin Jefferson a couple weeks earlier to a hamstring injury. Things looked very bleak in the week following the win in Green Bay. Jaren Hall was named the starter going into the Week 9 matchup in Atlanta. Hall trotted out onto the field and was leading the team up to the endzone, until a tough hit landed him in concussion protocol at the goal-line. QB Josh Dobbs went out to take his place, who was acquired from Arizona via trade earlier that same week, and finished the opening drive with a score. Dobbs would end up leading Minnesota to a comeback 4th quarter win to capture the hearts of many. Next week at home against New Orleans, Dobbs would have a fantastic first half. Even though the team's second half was lackluster, Minnesota was still able to pull out the win. Hope seemed to abound around the organization, as it seemed the team dodged a bullet by picking up Dobbs. Playoff hopes were set. Then the team played the Broncos the following week. The Vikings didn't look the same as the past few weeks, they struggled against a mediocre Broncos team. They would wind up falling by a single point. Next week at home against Chicago, things would get even worse. The Vikings offense would struggle to move the ball and fell against a surging Bears team. The bye week seemed to come at a turning point for the team, who would be the quarterback going forward? HC Kevin O'Connell decided to stick with Dobbs in the Week 14 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. This would yield even worse results then the previous couple weeks. Dobbs would not lead the team to a single scoring drive in the first half, and was pulled at halftime in favor of Nick Mullens who had just recently come off IR. Mullens was able to bring the offense down close enough for Greg Joseph to hit a 36 yard field goal that would win the game for Minnesota. The next week in Cincinnati would be a mix of reactions. Former Vikings backup QB Jake Browning would lead the Bengals to a win in overtime over the Vikings. Mullens was able to keep the team in the game, but his two bad turnovers proved costly. Against Detroit the next week was more of the same, close but just not enough. However, the SNF game against Green Bay was a much different story. It seemed the Vikings just didn't show up for the game. Before the game, Jaren Hall emerged from concussion protocol and the Vikings started him. He didn't have nearly as good a start as he did back in Week 9. He mainly just couldn't move the offense. Mullens would take over later in the 2nd half and lead a touchdown drive to make it somewhat respectable. Minnesota would fall in the final game against Detroit by 10. What Comes Next? This is a really interesting question. QB Kirk Cousins has been recovering quite nicely from his achilles surgery, and he will be ready for next season. However, he just came off contract season in which he only played 8 games. Now, granted he was on pace to lead the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns if he had finished the year. On another front, star WR Justin Jefferson has been eligible for an extension from his rookie contract starting last offseason. Both parties agreed to postpone talks until the 2023 season concluded. Now, the Vikings will try to sign him again. It was rumored that they offered him the farm last offseason, and I would expect the same again. He is worth it, as he can lift almost any team to victory. The Vikings also have to decide whether to keep aging edge rusher Danielle Hunter around, as he is do for a new contract as well. Hunter had a great season, so it will be a tough decision. All in all, here is what will be the big decision points for the Vikings: QB situation: Will the Vikings re-sign an aging Kirk Cousins who is a great QB but just coming off an Achilles injury? Or will they draft a QB in the 1st round this year (either with their 11th pick or via a trade up)? Or both? This question will lead to the following questions: If Cousins is signed to even a moderately lucrative contract, does the team have room to sign their other big players such as Jefferson and Hunter? Personally, I think they will be able to sign JJ either way as he is their best players hands down. Hunter might be gone though if Cousins comes back in any fashion. Somethings you can guarantee this offseason: Longtime FS Harrison Smith has played his last games in purple. Minnesota will be incentivized to move on from the future hall of famer this offseason, with Smith being due at least $10 million next season. It remains to be seen if he will retire this offseason or try to find another team to ride out the last year or two of his career. Two of the three QBs seen after Cousins this season will be gone. This is all but guaranteed. Multiple coaching staff members and the players themselves have admitted that recently acquired QB Josh Dobbs will not be returning with the team next season. Dobbs has already expressed that he hopes that his performance this season will lead to another opportunity with another team next season. Rookie QB Jaren Hall is also likely to be either released or downgraded to the practice squad depending on what the team does at the draft. If Hall is released, he will most likely find his way onto a team's practice squad or signed as a 2nd or 3rd string QB. The WR positions behind Jefferson and Addison will be different next season: This was already alluded to last offseason, but I would bet money that bonafide WR KJ Osborn will not return to the Vikings next season. Minnesota let go of hometown guy Adam Thielen last offseason, and Osborn is due a decent sized payday after the season he had. The Vikings just don't have the cap room to keep him around. Unrelated questions: What does Minnesota do at running back going forward? The Vikings went through some changes with running back in the last 12 months. The jury is still out on whether these were good changes. The team released former 2nd round pick Dalvin Cook before the season began. This meant that backup RB Alexander Mattison was elevated to the starting role. The first couple of weeks didn't go very well for the Boise State alum, and the Vikings acquired veteran Cam Akers to pair alongside Mattison. However, when Akers tore his Achilles in Week 9, the Vikings had to fall back to their former mid round draft pick Ty Chandler to provide an alternate approach. In my opinion, neither back is really all that good in this offense. Minnesota should look to either sign a free agent or draft another running back. This is going to be an offseason that could change the trajectory of the team. #skol The Vikings made sure fans had plenty of drinks on New Years Eve.
Final: Green Bay Packers 33 Minnesota Vikings 10 Minnesota: QB: N. Mullens 13/22 113 yds 5.1 avg 1 TD 87.9 rtg J. Hall 5/10 67 yds 6.7 avg 1 INT 32.1 rtg RB: T. Chandler 10 car 40 yds 4.0 avg 9 long (3 rec 24 yds) A. Mattison 3 car 17 yds 5.7 avg 9 long (2 rec 13 yds) WR: J. Jefferson 5 rec 59 yds 11.8 avg 21 long J. Mundt 4 rec 39 yds 9.8 avg 1 TD 14 long J. Addison 3 rec 28 yds 9.3 avg 20 long J. Oliver 1 rec 17 yds DEF: N. Thompson 1 fumble recovery K: G. Joseph 1/1 FG (54) 1/1 XP Game summary: I am not going to spend much time on this. The Vikings looked flat from the very beginning of the game. Jaren Hall just couldn't bring much out of the team. He fumbled in the 1st quarter on a strip sack. Minnesota just could not move the ball. And while the defense managed to hold the Packers to 10 1st quarter points, they were very decimated with injuries and allowed 33 points. KOC switched to Nick Mullens in the 2nd half and gave the Vikings their lone touchdown in the 4th quarter. One thing we know now, Jaren Hall is not really anything special and I highly doubt he will be with the Vikings after this season. I would expect Mullens will stay with the team as their backup QB. Dobbs will also be gone after this season as well. Playoff Update Well, after that thrashing the Vikings are in dire straits for the playoffs. While the loss was not an elimination, Minnesota now needs a lot of help to make it in. First the Vikings need to beat the Lions in Detroit this week, and then they need Green Bay to lose, Atlanta to lose, and Seattle to lose for them to get into the playoffs. All in all, this will probably be the end of the season, as I find it highly unlikely the Vikings will beat the Lions in the Motor City this season. Up Next This week the Vikings will close out the season in Detroit to play the Lions on Sunday at 12 PM CT. #skol The Vikings fought with the Lions quite a bit but just struggled in the 4th quarter.
Final: Detroit Lions 30 Minnesota Vikings 24 Minnesota: QB: N. Mullens 22/36 411 yds 2 TD 4 INT 79.5 rtg RB: T. Chandler 8 car 17 yds 2.1 avg 1 TD WR: J. Jefferson 6 rec 141 yds 23.5 avg 1 TD 29 long KJ Osborn 5 rec 95 yds 19.0 avg 1 TD 47 long TJ Hockenson 4 rec 58 yds 14.5 avg 24 long B. Powell 3 rec 53 yds 17.7 avg 26 long J. Oliver 1 rec 33 yds J. Mundt 1 rec 23 yds CJ Ham 1 rec 6 yds J. Addison 1 rec 2 yds DEF: I. Pace Jr 1 fumble recovery P. Jones II 1 sack K: G. Joseph 1/1 FG (26) 3/3 XP Game summary: Minnesota did look ready to play out of the gate and scored in the 1st quarter. The Lions also did. The Vikings would score in the 2nd quarter as well, but the Lions were bursting through and led by 3 at half. In the 3rd quarter, the Vikings allowed another touchdown but forced a missed PAT. Minnesota then scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal in the 4th quarter. But the depleted defense would allow a touchdown in the 4th quarter. The Vikings would have a chance to win multiple times at the end of the 4th quarter, but just couldn't quite get down to the redzone. They lost 24-30. NFC North Update: With the win over the Vikings, the Lions have won their first NFC North division title and clinched a playoff spot. The Bears and Packers also won, so now the Vikings and Packers are tied for 2nd in the division and the Bears are a game back of those two. If Minnesota wants in to the playoffs, they need to win their last two games and might need just a little help to get in as they are currently on the outside looking in. If the Vikings lose either or both of their last 2 games, they will miss the playoffs. Injury Report: The Vikings lost multiple players in the loss against the Lions. TE TJ Hockenson was injured after a low tackle by a Lions DB in the 2nd quarter, he would wind up tearing his ACL and MCL and is done for this season, if not some of next season as well. DE DJ Wonnum was lost in the 3rd quarter, and has torn his quad and will also be out the remainder of the season. WR Jordan Addison left the game in the 2nd quarter, and did not return, he is dealing with an ankle injury that is not assessed to be season-ending. CB Mekhi Blackmon left the game in the 3rd quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return. He is expected to play again before the end of the season. RB Alexander Mattison was activated to play against Detroit on Sunday, but he did not see the field and he is still listed on the injury report to be dealing with that ankle injury. CB Byron Murphy Jr did not play on Sunday and is dealing with a knee injury. Up Next The Vikings will limp their way to Sunday when they will host Green Bay on Sunday Night Football. Kickoff is at 7:20 PM CT. #skol This team continues to confuse me every week.
Final/OT: Minnesota Vikings 24 Cincinnati Bengals 27 Minnesota: QB: N. Mullens 26/33 303 yds 2 TD 2 INT 99.9 rtg RB: T. Chandler 23 car 132 yds 5.7 avg 1 TD (3 rec 25 yds) WR: J. Addison 6 rec 111 yds 18.5 avg 2 TD 37 long J. Jefferson 7 rec 84 yds 12.0 avg 19 long TJ Hockenson 6 rec 63 yds 10.5 avg 16 long J. Oliver 2 rec 14 yds 7.0 avg 12 long DEF: A. Evans 1 INT D. Hunter 2 sacks DJ Wonnum 1 sack J. Metellus 1 sack J. Bullard 1 sack K: G. Joseph 1/1 FG (39) 3/3 XP Game summary: Minnesota opened the game with their first opening drive touchdown of the season. They would allow a field goal as well. Not much else happened in the 1st half. In the 3rd quarter Minnesota would score another touchdown and kick a field goal to be leading 17-3. In the 4th quarter, the Vikings defense reverted back to their October selves. They would allow 3 touchdowns, Mullens would throw two picks and the Vikings would go to overtime. They would fall late in the extra period by a field goal. NFC North Update The Vikings sit at 2nd in the NFC North. They are a full game ahead of Green Bay and 3 games back of Detroit. If Minnesota wins out, they will be a playoff team and the NFC North champion. If they win 2 games, they make the playoffs as a wild card team. If they win 1 game, they might make the playoffs and would be scoreboard watching. If they lose every game, they miss the playoffs. Injury Report For once the Vikings didn't have loads of injuries in one week. WR Justin Jefferson played this week after missing most of the game last week with a chest injury. Multiple other players with injuries last week did not play this week, including Brian O'Neill and Alexander Mattison. Up Next This week, the Vikings will come home to host the division leading Lions. Kickoff is at 12 PM CT on Sunday. #skol This week's Vikings game made me question why I watch the NFL every week.
Final: Minnesota Vikings 3 Las Vegas Raiders 0 Minnesota: QB: N. Mullens 9/13 83 yds 86.4 rtg J. Dobbs 10/23 63 yds 50.8 rtg RB: A. Mattison 10 car 66 yds 6.6 avg 16 long T. Chandler 12 car 35 yds 2.9 avg 7 long WR: TJ Hockenson 5 rec 53 yds 10.6 avg 26 long J. Jefferson 2 rec 27 yds 13.5 avg 15 long J. Addison 2 rec 27 yds 13.5 avg 20 long KJ Osborn 4 rec 15 yds 3.8 avg 12 long J. Nailor 2 rec 13 yds 6.5 avg 9 long DEF: I. Pace Jr 1 INT 1 sack M. Blackmon 1 fumble recovery J. Ward 1 fumble recovery DJ Wonnum 1 sack H. Phillips 1 sack T. Dye 1 sack K: G. Joseph 1/2 FG (36) Game Summary: This is not going to be very long. The Vikings offense sucked all day long. Josh Dobbs is very obviously not the QB he was 4 weeks ago. The only time the offense had any semblance of production is when Nick Mullens was put in at QB in the 4th quarter. Both teams were scoreless up to this point. Mullens orchestrated a drive that ended close to the redzone and made it possible for Greg Joseph to hit the 36 yard field goal to win the game for the Vikings. Well, kinda. There was still 2 minutes left. Vegas tried to drive down but O'Connell was picked off by Ivan Pace Jr to basically seal the game for the Vikings. I highly doubt we will ever see Dobbs play in a Vikings uniform again. NFC North Update With the Vikings win and a few good losses yesterday, Minnesota remains in 2nd in the NFC North and the 6th seed in the playoffs. Since Detroit lost to Chicago yesterday, it also means that if Minnesota wins out they would be NFC North Champions. If the Vikings lose a game other then the Lions/Packers games and Detroit loses one as well, Minnesota is still in play for the division title. Right now its win as many games as you can with this depleted roster. Injury Report So many guys got injured today. Star WR Justin Jefferson returned from his hamstring injury today, only to leave the game in the 1st quarter with a chest injury. He was sent to the hospital as a precaution, but later joined the team immediately following the game. I would expect that he will play next week. OL Brian O'Neill left the game in the 2nd quarter with an ankle injury. His status for the next week is unknown. RB Alexander Mattison left the game in the 3rd quarter with an unknown injury. His status is also unknown. Up Next The Vikings now travel to Cincinnati next Saturday to play the Bengals. Kickoff is at 12 PM CT on NFL Network. #SKOL |
NFC North Standings
1. Minnesota (1-0) 2. Chicago (1-0) 3. Detroit (1-0) 4. Green Bay (0-1) Last Updated: 9/8/24 3:03 PM z - clinched division x - clinched playoff spot e-eliminated from contention Preseason
8/10: vs. Las Vegas W 24-23 8/17: @ Cleveland W 27-12 8/24: @ Philadelphia W 26-3 London games
indicates primetime game Regular Season W1: @ NY Giants W 28-6 W2: vs. San Francisco W 23-17 W3: vs. Houston 9/22 12 PM W4: @ Green Bay 9/29 12 PM W5: vs. NY Jets 10/6 8:30 AM W6: Bye W7: vs. Detroit 10/20 12 PM W8: @ LA Rams 10/24 7:15 PM W9: vs. Indianapolis 11/3 12 PM W10: @ Jacksonville 11/10 12 PM W11: @ Tennessee 11/17 12 PM W12: @ Chicago 11/24 12 PM W13: vs. Arizona 12/1 12 PM W14: vs. Atlanta 12/8 12 PM W15: vs. Chicago 12/16 7 PM W16: @ Seattle 12/22 3:05 PM W17: vs. Green Bay 12/29 12 PM W18: @ Detroit TBD Home Stadium:
US Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Opened 2016 
Record Book
NFC Central Champions: 1969-71, 1973-78, 1980, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000 NFC North Champions: 2008, 2009, 2015, 2017 Conference Champions: 1973-74, 1976 Wild Card Appearances: 1987-88, 1993, 1996-97, 1999, 2004, 2012, 2015, 2019 Divisional Appearances: 1968-71, 1973-78, 1980, 1982, 1987-89, 1997-2000, 2004, 2009, 2017, 2019 NFC Championship Appearances: 1973-74, 1976-77, 1987, 1998, 2000, 2009, 2017 Super Bowl Appearances: VIII (1973), IX (1974), XI (1976) Playoff Appearances: 1969-71, 1973-78, 1980, 1982, 1987-89, 1992-94, 1996-2000, 2004, 2008-09, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022 Last Season's Record: 7-10 (2023), No Playoffs |