Category: Minneapolis Vikings

Report: Vikings are signing former Broncos LB Todd Davis

Please welcome former Broncos linebacker Todd Davis, who is reportedly signing with the Minnesota Vikings.

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Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr left the Week 2 loss to the Colts Sunday.

His injury turned out to be a torn pec. The Vikings placed him on IR and Barr will reportedly be out for the remainder of the 2020 NFL season.

That leaves a pretty big gap at linebacker, one that couldn’t just be filled by players below Barr on the depth chart.

So Minnesota went out in free agency and reportedly added some linebacker depth that way. The team signed former Broncos LB Todd Davis, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported.

The Vikings are signing Davis to a one-year deal, per Pelissero.

Davis has started at least 14 games for the Broncos in the past four seasons. He tallied 134 tackles in 2019. The season before that, he had 114.

He’s a good option for the Vikings in free agency. I don’t think he can fully replace what Barr was capable of, but he can be part of a linebacker committee that can try its best to replace him.

Which position should the Vikings prioritize in the draft? Defensive tackle, says The Athletic

Do you want the Minnesota Vikings to draft a defensive tackle in the 2021 NFL Draft?

If you’ve noticed that the Vikings have started 0-2, you may have also picked up on all the photoshopped Trevor Lawrence photos of him in purple and gold.

With the way the season has gone so far, it’s tempting for Minnesota fans to foresee a future where Lawrence coming to the Vikings is actually possible.

However, the Vikings may be just too good to land the No. 1 overall pick, yet not good enough to make the playoffs.

So who should the team actually prioritize in the NFL Draft? A defensive tackle, says Chad Graff of the Athletic. Here’s what else Graff said in a recent mailbag:

“Defensive tackle. There will be a lot of areas to address and we’ll get to all of that once the season ends.

But the most disappointing area for the Vikings has been defensive tackle. There’s a legit argument to be made that they have the worst interior defensive line in the NFL. Shamar Stephen isn’t as good as they think and Armon Watts and Jaleel Johnson aren’t as good as they hoped.

If Michael Pierce returns next season, that will help. But they need a young, talented defensive tackle that they can develop, too.”

The Vikings coaching staff has defended Shamar Stephen in the past, saying that what he does on the field doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet. That said, the team has struggled to get pressure from the three-technique defensive tackle and Stephen has looked overmatched, especially against the Colts. Granted, the Colts have an excellent offensive line.

I think if Minnesota ends up with a pick outside the top 10, I could see them going with an interior defensive lineman. That said, a quarterback or cornerback that panned out would give the Vikings a lot more value.

How has former Vikings DE Everson Griffen been doing with the Cowboys?

How do you think former Minnesota Vikings DL Everson Griffen has done with the Dallas Cowboys in the 2020 NFL season?

Minnesota let many of its key veterans from past years walk this offseason, defensive end Everson Griffen included.

Griffen, who had previously played his entire NFL career with the Vikings until 2020, is now with the Cowboys.

It’s early, but Griffen is tied for the team lead in sacks with one, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. He is also first in quarterback pressures with five.

Despite the good basic stats, Pro Football Focus has not thought highly of Griffen’s play. He has earned an overall grade of just 46.4, a run defense grade of 50.1 and a pass defense grade of 59.2.

The Cowboys defense has not been great as a whole. Dallas gave up 20 points to the Rams in Week 1 and 39 to the Falcons in Week 2.  For Dallas, an onside kick and a game-winning drive just barely eked out a 40-39 victory over a team that is, on paper, worse.

After the Week 2 win, Jeff Cavanaugh of 105.3 The FAN said on Twitter Tuesday that “Everson Griffen hasn’t been good for the Cowboys at all yet.” Griffen responded pretty strongly to that.

Vote for Minnesota in the Homegrown Legends Tournament Bracket, Round 1

Can Minnesota pull off the upset in the first round?

Throughout the history of football in the United States, Texas has been a hotbed for football talent.

But Minnesota is underrated in terms of the state’s ability to produce football talent. So underrated, in fact, that the state has to face the No. 1 seed Dallas in the Homegrown Legends Tournament.

In order for Minnesota to do the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the unpredictable — we need people at Vikings Wire to vote in the tournament.

Here is where you vote.

Here’s why Minnesota will win:

“How Minnesota can win: Dallas has a menacing pass rush, but Minnesota has a star-studded offensive line, in addition to fullback Bronko Nagurski, who can provide added protection. Minnesota can run it right down the Dallas defense, with Marion Barber III finding open lanes. On defense, linebackers James Laurinaitis and Karl Mecklenburg can disrupt the Dallas offense. If Steve Walsh can get the ball out to Adam Thielen and Larry Fitzgerald with plenty of time, Minnesota could pull the upset.” — Jack White, Vikings Wire

Will Minnesota pull off the upset and move through the tournament? We’ll see. The voting deadline is Friday at 11 a.m. C.T.

Report: Vikings CB Jeff Gladney to have ‘increased role’ against the Colts

Get ready to see more out of Vikings rookie cornerback Jeff Gladney.

Vikings rookie cornerback Cameron Dantzler started Week 1, while fellow rookie corner Jeff Gladney played sparingly.

Now that Dantzler is out, that’s expected to change. Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune reported that Gladney is expected to have an increased role tomorrow in Indianapolis.

“Without Dantzler (rib), Vikings’ corner rotation will again take on new look,” Krammer said on Twitter.

Gladney played in just nine snaps this past game against the Packers. He’s a physical corner, which might help the Vikings defense. Last game, Minnesota’s corners struggled to get off blockers, tackle and engage with wide receivers near the line of scrimmage.

Vikings’ Adam Thielen on his game vs. Packers: Situations dictate stats sometimes

Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen downplayed his stats from the Packers game when discussing it with reporters.

Minnesota was not a beacon of consistency against Green Bay, but it wasn’t all bad. Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen put up big numbers.

Thielen had 110 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions in the loss. Those are good numbers for any receiver, but Thielen downplayed his performance when speaking with reporters recently.

“There’s situations that dictate stats and things like that. Let’s be honest, let’s not overreact to that game because we were playing from way behind,” Thielen told reporters, via Vikings.com. “They were playing soft coverage, they were giving us a lot of stuff because of the situation of the game. I wouldn’t say it was a strong game, things like that. I know that’s how this league works, there’s a lot of overhype or underhype based on stats. I’m a realist and I also know that situations dictate stats sometimes.”

I still think it’s a silver lining that Kirk Cousins found Thielen as much as he did. It’d be a way worse sign if the Vikings didn’t have a 100-yard receiver. Yes, they were down by a lot and yes Cousins and Thielen put up numbers when the game seemed mostly out of reach, but if Minnesota can fix the defense and the duo can do that against the Colts, the Vikings could bounce back.

ESPN makes the case for the Vikings to make the Super Bowl

Is this the year the Minnesota Vikings finally win the Super Bowl?

After years of torment, contending for the playoffs only to fall short of winning the final game of the season, is this the year the Vikings can finally win the Super Bowl?

ESPN made the case for each NFL team to win the championship game. Here’s part of the outlet’s case for the Vikings:

“Vikings fans might argue that the rebuilt defense of 2020 could be an upgrade on the last run of Mike Zimmer’s former core in 2019. Minnesota let longtime contributors Xavier Rhodes, Everson Griffen and Trae Waynes all leave this offseason, but Rhodes and Waynes didn’t play well, and Griffen is now ably replaced in the lineup by trade acquisition Yannick Ngakoue. If rookie first-rounder Jeff Gladney can step onto the field and play like an NFL-caliber corner in September, the Vikings could actually be better on defense.”

ESPN went on to say that a healthy Dalvin Cook is a best-case scenario for the team. Minnesota still has to compete with a divisional power in Green Bay, but ESPN provided some optimism in that regard:

“If the Packers decline, Minnesota is the best-positioned team to win the NFC North.”

This stat for Cameron Dantzler over his last two years with Mississippi State is insane

If Cameron Dantzler translates this stat to the NFL, the Vikings have found a stellar cornerback in the draft.

Minnesota desperately needed help heading into the 2020 NFL Draft within its secondary. 

After losing the majority of their secondary this offseason, the Vikings addressed the cornerback position twice in the first three rounds. TCU product Jeff Gladney was taken in the first round and Cameron Dantzler, out of Mississippi State, was selected in the third round in an attempt to patch up the defensive back corps.

Both cornerbacks bring a physical style of play with them to Minnesota. The Vikings drafting those two in the early rounds is great, because Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has been known for turning cornerbacks into stars. There is a lot of buzz around both of the young corners and there is a good chance that both will need to play significant time in 2020. 

Although Dantzler was taken towards the end of the third round, there’s still plenty to be excited about. During his last two seasons at Mississippi State, Dantzler had a passer rating when targeted of 43.6. 

This stat is absolutely crazy, especially when you consider that if a quarterback spiked the ball on every play his passer rating would be 39.6. 

Not only did he put up one of the craziest statistics a cornerback can have, but he did so against the No. 1 overall selection in his draft class and likely the top receiver in the 2021 class: Ja’Marr Chase. 

With the amount of key departures the Vikings had within their secondary this offseason, they needed to find multiple players that can come in and make an impact on day one. Dantzler has that ability and it’s going to be exciting to see Zimmer get to work with one of the youngest cornerback groups in the NFL.

Comparing Brett Favre’s magical run with the Vikings to what Kirk Cousins has done up to this point 

This may surprise some people, but Kirk Cousins’ stats in his first two seasons with Minnesota are comparable to Brett Favre’s two seasons with the Vikings.

On Monday night, ESPN aired a classic Vikings game where Brett Favre beat the Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome. It brought back nostalgic feelings for Vikings fans, with it being one of the most fun seasons the team has ever had. 

A huge reason that season was so fun was due to the magic that Favre brought with him to Minnesota. The news clips of Favre coming back to the game, the Greg Lewis catch and the run that led to a disappointing finish in the NFC Championship game. 

Historically speaking, Favre is one of the best quarterbacks to play the game. And although he was only in purple for two short seasons, he will still go down as one of the best Vikings quarterbacks of all time. 

Being able to watch Favre come into Minnesota, beat his former team twice and take the Vikings to the NFC Championship game will be in the memories of Vikings fans forever. However, the Vikings current quarterback is also on pace to go down as one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history. 

Comparing Kirk Cousins to Favre might seem like a joke to some, but the numbers speak for themselves. The one aspect of Favre’s game that made him so special was the ability to avoid pressure and zip the football into tight windows. This has been one of Cousins biggest flaws to this point, and he himself said in a virtual interview this week that he needs to become more mobile. 

In Favre’s two seasons with the Vikings, he did some great things. His 2009 season was much stronger than 2010, partially because he got injured and missed a total of three games in 2010. 

In his 2009 season, Favre threw for 4,202 yards, 33 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a completion percentage of 68.4. If you combine his two seasons with the Vikings, he averaged 3,356 yards per season, 22 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a completion percentage of 64.5. 

In 2010, Favre was playing into his 40s and battled with an injury. That season never turned out the way Vikings fans hoped, after finishing the 2009 season with a disappointing loss in New Orleans. 

What the Vikings have currently in Cousins is much different than a first-ballot Hall of Fame player entering the end of his career. Cousins is still in his prime, and as of right now will more than likely not be enshrined in Canton someday. There is still time for him to change that, but it looks like that would be an unrealistic expectation to put on Cousins at the moment. 

Having said that, the numbers are still worth looking into. In his best statistical season with the Vikings, Cousins threw for 4,298 yards, 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a completion percentage of 70.1%. In his first two seasons with the Vikings, Cousins averaged 3,9506 yards per season, 28 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a completion percentage of 69.6%.

Just comparing the stats, Cousins has been the better quarterback for the Vikings in two seasons, but more goes into it than just stats. Favre played the game in a different way than Cousins, and seemed to trust his arm more as well. The interceptions were much higher, but that was because Favre had more of a gunslinger mentality. 

This mentality that Favre brought to the table is what Vikings fans are itching to see Cousins do. The stats show he is already a great quarterback, but the ability to escape pressure and force throws into extremely tight windows would make him that much better. That ability is what made Favre a Super Bowl winning quarterback.

Favre is high up in the record books in many good categories, but he is also atop the charts for interceptions thrown in a career with 336. Cousins has proven that he has elite accuracy, but it doesn’t always show when he has pressure in his face. His limited turnovers have helped the Vikings over his first two seasons in purple. However, if you were to give him Favre’s confidence and ability to make plays outside of the pocket, he would become that much better of a quarterback even if he threw more interceptions. 

Up to this point with the Vikings, Cousins has been a very good quarterback. The numbers don’t lie, and he has put up just as good of a season as Favre did in 2009. The narrative is there that he can’t win in big games, but he was able to come out of New Orleans with a playoff win last season.

When Cousins’ career is over, how will he be remembered? Who knows? But the quarterback definitely has the potential to be great.

Previewing Vikings vs. Lions Week 14

The Vikings and Lions face off in a battle that could go a long way for Minnesota in its bid for the playoffs.

Lions (3-8-1) at Vikings (8-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Minneapolis, MN, U.S. Bank Stadium

Lions’ keys to victory: Play better late in games. This is a team that is better than its record indicates. All but one of the Lions’ losses have come by less than eight points, and that was back on Oct. 20 against the Vikings when Minnesota won 42-30. There is plenty of talent on this Lions team, especially at WR with Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. The Vikings’ secondary has been suspect, so there’s an opportunity here for Detroit to find big plays. Of course, Lions fans would feel better about all of this if Matthew Stafford were healthy. 

Vikings’ keys to victory: Don’t lose focus in preparation. The Vikings had a huge Monday Night Football game against the Seahawks and have upcoming games against the Chargers, Packers and Bears. This game doesn’t look particularly sexy on paper, but as you’ve heard a time or two before, games are not played on paper. The Vikings nearly fell into a trap facing off against the Broncos in Week 11 before their bye week. The Lions are eliminated from the playoff hunt and have nothing to play for. Sometimes, though, those are the most dangerous teams. It will be up to QB Kirk Cousins to get the Vikings offense rolling early. 

Matchup to watch: Lions QB vs. Vikings pass rush. Lions third-string QB David Blough will have his hands full with a talented Vikings pass rush. Danielle Hunter is having another strong season. Everson Griffen is back on track after a rocky 2018. Even Anthony Barr gets in the mix sometimes. I would expect Vikings coach Mike Zimmer to throw a lot (look for some safety blitzes via Harrison Smith) at a quarterback who was better than many people thought on Thanksgiving against the Bears. 

Who wins? The NFC playoff picture changes week to week, and that just shows you how competitive this all is. The Vikings should come out thinking of this as a must-win game for not only playoff position, but for a potential NFC North championship. Vikings 29, Lions 13