Category: Commentary

The Vikings might not be done making trades before the deadline

The Vikings could be potential buyers at the NFL trade deadline.

The NFL trade deadline is November 5, and there were three trades made on Tuesday. Two were fairly big trades involving receivers Davanate Adams and Amari Cooper, and the other involved the Vikings trading for running back Cam Akers—again.

Minnesota wanted to add some depth to its running back room, and even though Aaron Jones suffered an injury in Week 5 against the Jets in London, coach Kevin O’Connell said it had nothing to do with that. During his Wednesday conference call, O’Connell hinted Minnesota might not be done making trades before the deadline.

“I think where we’re at right now as a team, we’re just focused on the guys we have and we’re really excited about our roster,” he said. “But I’m sure, as we move forward here, Kwesi and his group will be evaluating all options that work from the standpoint of continuing to build this team.

“We feel like we’ve got really good depth, that was one of the reasons why we made the move for Cam, just to continue to solidify an important part of our team for the next 12 games and beyond. If there’s an opportunity to do that at another position or an opportunity to add an impact player, you just have to work through all of those as a group and figure out what works best.”

If it is appealing, the Vikings could consider adding help on the interior of the defensive line or at another position.

Former Vikings starter would like to return to Minnesota to finish the season

The legendary cornerback opens up about wanting a return to the Minnesota Vikings in an interview during the team’s Bye Week.

Former Cardinal, Viking, and Steeler cornerback Patrick Peterson is leaving the door open to return to the NFL. Appearing on a podcast with Infinity Sports Network’s Zach Gelb, Peterson said he’s still training daily and keeping his mind shape in hopes of returning to the game at age 34.

Peterson told Gelb he would like to return to Minnesota with coach Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings are off to a 5-0 start, and while Peterson isn’t the player he once was, he would add another veteran presence in the locker room alongside Stephon Gilmore.

“I would like to be there too, man. I love the coaching staff there. Coach Kevin had an opportunity to build a solid relationship over the nine months that I was with him, and it’s just a great feel and a great organization to be around. Great guys to be around and show up to work with every day. ”

Peterson played for the Vikings in 2021 and 2022 before going to Pittsburgh for one season. In 2022, he tallied 66 tackles and five interceptions for Minnesota.

Mike Florio has a bold suggestion for the Vikings roster

The NBC analyst thinks the Vikings should look into the veteran if Minnesota drops a couple of games in the coming weeks.

There will be all kinds of rumors spreading before the November 5 NFL trade deadline, and with the Minnesota Vikings standing at 5-0 in the season, you could hear their names involved in all kinds of rumors. One NFL insider already tried to link the Vikings to a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and now NBC’s Mike Florio has another out-of-this-world take.

Florio believes, that if the Vikings drop two straight games, Minnesota should consider trading for Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford.

“If, for example, the Jets provided a blueprint for making Sam Darnold look mortal, the Vikings would be wise (if they lose to the Lions and then to Stafford’s Rams) to at least entertain the possibility of an upgrade,” Florio said. “(Coincidentally, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and Stafford worked together for a year in L.A. And they both won a Super Bowl ring for their efforts.)”

Sam Darnold has done everything the Vikings could possibly hope so, and with getting star tight end T.J. Hockenson healthy, Darnold will have yet another weapon at his disposal.

Vikings linked to five-time Pro Bowl WR before trade deadline

Would the Vikings think about adding another wide receiver for Sam Darnold prior to the NFL trade deadline?

The Vikings are off to a hot start and one of the biggest surprises in the NFL. Minnesota has already made plenty of signings to shape the team, but NFL insider Akbar Gbajabiamila links the Vikings to a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.

On a segment of Good Morning Football, he thinks the Vikings could be buyers at the trade deadline and look to make a move for Browns’ wide receiver Amari Cooper after a rocky 1-4 start to the season.

“How about the Minnesota Vikings?… They have TJ Hockenson coming back. You start thinking, ‘What could they do, they could add some depth’. Think about what the Kansas City Chiefs have done. They continuously add depth. Someone gets hurt, they get someone else in there.

“How about going out and maybe looking for an Amari Cooper, who’s on a struggling Browns team. [Kwesi Adofo-Mensah] was in Cleveland already, has familiarity with Amari Cooper. Now, all of a sudden, you have depth at the wide receiver position.

“You’ve got Justin Jefferson, Addison, Amari Cooper, TJ Hockenson. Now, all of a sudden, you’ve got guys who can, when home-field advantage comes around, they’re making it deep, deep, deep and potentially winning a Super Bowl”

Minnesota is pretty happy with Jalen Nailor as wide receiver three, but if the opportunity presented itself to acquire the former first-round receiver out of Alabama, the Vikings would likely consider it. Sam Darnold would have an unstoppable cast of receivers at his disposal.

Former NFL quarterback has a Viking leading the MVP race

The former Heisman-winning quarterback has Minnesota’s quarterback as the early favorite to take home the hardware.

Robert Griffin III is a former Heisman-winning quarterback for Baylor and was a first-round draft choice for the then-Washington Redskins. Griffin III battled injuries that forced him out of the NFL much earlier than anticipated, but he moved from NFL player to analyst.

The former ESPN analyst is extremely high on the Vikings. Not only does Griffin III have Minnesota as his second-best team in the NFL behind Kansas City, but he also thinks the Vikings have the MVP favorite.

When the Vikings signed Sam Darnold to a one-year deal, nobody believed he could be in the MVP discussion for five weeks, but here we are. RGIII has Darnold as his early MVP favorite.

Darnold was a little shaky in the Vikings’ latest win against the Jets in London, but he’s been superb outside of that game. The former top-five NFL pick has thrown for 1,111 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He’s doing all of this without star tight end T.J. Hockenson, who is expected back very soon.

Two Vikings’ cornerbacks have been elite against the pass this season

Two new Vikings have played extremely well through five games in 2024 within Brian Flores’ scheme.

Minnesota made some splash signings this offseason to shore up the defense. The Vikings signed Blake Cashman, Jonathan Greenard, and Andrew Van Ginkel early before making the ultimate signing of Stephon Gilmore.

But one other signing that some fans weren’t super excited about was cornerback Shaq Griffin. Griffin has arguably been the Vikings’ best cornerback outside of Gilmore through five games.

According to Pro Football Network, the Vikings have two top cornerbacks against the pass. Griffin is the No. 3 corner in the NFL with the lowest passer rating allowed, with a 37.5 passer rating. Gilmore is 10th, with a 60.3 rating.

Through five games, Griffin has five pass deflections and an interception. Gilmore has three pass deflections plus an interception. Bryron Murphy Jr. leads all corners with 29 tackles, but his play has been up and down in 2024. Either way, the Minnesota secondary is head and shoulders better than what it was a season ago in the early going.

Vikings HC credits Sam Darnold and the work he has put in

The Vikings’ HC says he isn’t shocked with how well Sam Darnold has played through five weeks.

When the Vikings signed Sam Darnold to a one-year deal, not too many fans were thrilled. The former top-five pick didn’t pan out for the Jets or Carolina, but after spending one year learning under Kyle Shanahan, Darnold felt like he understood the NFL game better.

Fast-forward to 2024. The Vikings are 5-0 and on top of the NFC Conference. Darnold has been lights out, and many are calling him an MVP favorite. Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, head coach Kevin O’Connell says he’s not surprised by Darnold’s success and is proud of the quarterback he’s been.

“I knew all along if we could get some guys open — Sam Darnold’s going to hit them,” O’Connell told McAfee. “He’s talented, he can play quarterback in the NFL. I’ve always believed that and I’m proud of him…He’s one of our captains and he works as hard as anyone each week to be ready. I’m not surprised when he goes out and has success. The challenge for Sam and the rest of our team is how they handle the success.”

Darnold was a little shaky in the Vikings’ latest win against the Jets, but it was also the worst the offensive line played. Darnold was pressured repeatedly. Entering a bye week, the Vikings have a week to sort a few things out and get the offense back on track.

Bizarre stat shows how good the Vikings have been in five weeks

The Vikings are in elite company through five games.

The Vikings are out to an incredible 5-0 start to the 2024 football season and Minnesota has had a tough road to get there. The Vikings defeated the 49ers, the Texans, Green Bay, and the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets to get remain perfect. And it’s been a dominant start.

ESPN’s Field Yates shared a photo of the last five teams that spent the least amount of time trailing through the first five games in 1970. Minnesota has trailed for a total of 3:26 this season. The Vikings join the 2009 Saints, the 1984 Dolphins, the 2023 49ers, the 1999 Rams, and the 1999 Broncos.

The common theme? All four of those teams either won the Super Bowl or lost it. Could the Vikings be the next team to get there? It’s way too early to determine that, but it’s certainly possible with how the Minnesota defense has played and Sam Darnold’s early success.

ESPN analyst still isn’t buying the Vikings after a 5-0 start

Minnesota is arguably the top team in the NFL through five weeks after beating the Jets on Sunday and starting 5-0.

Minnesota is arguably the top team in the NFL through five weeks after beating the Jets on Sunday and starting 5-0. But not everybody thinks Minnesota is a true contender yet.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano calls it an overreaction saying the Vikings will win the NFC. He cites the NFC North is still too good and we will know more about Minnesota in a couple of weeks when it faces the Lions.

“The good news about the Vikings’ 5-0 start is that 71 of the 85 teams that have started 5-0 in the Super Bowl era have gone on to make the playoffs. The bad news is that the last team that didn’t was … the 2016 Vikings, who crashed to an 8-8 record after a 5-0 start. So, Vikings fans know all too well not to party just yet. We’ll know more in two weeks after Minnesota has played the Lions, but this team already banked a huge division road win against the Packers. The Vikings absolutely, positively can win the NFC.”

The key for the Vikings moving forward is to keep Sam Darnold playing good football. On Sunday, he struggled for the first time this season when facing a ton of pressure against the Jets. He will enter a bye week in hopes of regrouping for the next part of the season.

The Vikings have the NFL MVP on the roster, but it isn’t who you think

While some think Sam Darnold is the early MVP favorite, one voice has another opinion.

With the Minnesota Vikings getting out to a 4-0 start in the 2024 NFL season, quarterback Sam Darnold is arguably the most talked about player right now. And it’s for good reason. The former top-five draft pick didn’t pan out with the New York Jets, and his stint with the Carolina Panthers wasn’t anything to be remembered. When he signed with the Vikings on a one-year deal, fans thought it would be short-lived with J.J. McCarthy on the roster.

But after four games, Darnold has thrown for 932 yards, 11 scores, and three interceptions. Many media members say Darnold is the early MVP favorite. But one NFL voice says the Vikings do have an MVP favorite, but it’s not Darnold.

Dan Orlovsky called Justin Jefferson the MVP during a segment on NFL Live. The way Jefferson runs routes, catches difficult passes, and everything else he can do — Orlovsky believes he is what is making the Minnesota train roll. Through four weeks, Jefferson is fifth in the NFL with receiving 358 yards.