Category: Minnesota Vikings

After tough start Aaron Jones gives Vikings go-ahead score

The first-year Viking had a rough start, but finished strong when it mattered.

It hasn’t been a fun few weeks for Viking running back Aaron Jones. The former Green Bay Packer has what appears to be some butterfingers when it comes to holding onto the football. On the game’s first possession, Jones fumbled the ball twice and the second time ended up going to the Cardinals.

To make matters worse, when the Vikings needed touchdowns, Jones missed a touchdown catch from Sam Darnold.

But once the Viking defense gave the Minnesota offense another chance, Jones didn’t disappoint. The Vikings marched down the field thanks to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The drive was capped off when Darnold hit the struggling Jones for a five-yard score to give Minnesota a 23-22 lead.

The Vikings’ defense would hold on the next drive. Kyler Murray would go on to throw his second interception of the day — this time to Shaq Griffin. Minnesota moves to 10-2 on the season.

WATCH: Byron Murphy Jr. picks off his former team

The former Cardinal got back at his old team on Sunday when he picked off Kyler Murray.

It was a sweet, sweet feeling for both Minnesota Viking fans and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. on Sunday. The former Arizona Cardinal cornerback had a chance to play his old team in Minnesota and he made the most of it.

Murphy Jr. picked off Kyler Murray at the beginning of the fourth quarter on Sunday’s game between the Cardinals and Vikings. Murray was under duress and threw the ball up for grabs and Murphy Jr. had one of the easier interceptions a defensive back could make.

The Vikings scored a touchdown when Sam Darnold found tight end Johnny Mundt, and Minnesota gained some momentum. Being down 19-13 at home, the Vikings’ defense needed to make a play to give the Minnesota offense another chance, and that’s what Murphy Jr. did.

Murphy Jr. was a second-round pick out of Washington. The Cardinals took him in the 2019 NFL Draft and he played with Arizona from 2019-2022 before he came to the Vikings in 2023.

WATCH: Former Viking takes a kick return 99 yards for a TD

The former Minnesota Viking scored a long one for the Jets after being brought up from the practice squad on Saturday.

It was a bit shocking when the Vikings moved on from kick return specialist Kene Nwangwu. Minnesota made the move back in late August and when it did so, the Vikings had just Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler on the roster at running back.

A fourth-round pick by the Rick Spielman regime in 2021, Nwangwu came to the Vikings as a developmental RB who hadn’t played much at Iowa State. Where he provided plenty of value was on special teams. Nwangwu returned two kickoffs for touchdowns as a rookie and added another in 2022. Last season, though, he handled a career-low 15 returns in nine games.

But Nwangwu found his way back on an NFL roster. On Sunday, he returned a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks.

It’s the first time Nwangwu has been elevated to the Jets’ active roster, and he has an opportunity to make his 2024 regular-season debut against the Seahawks on Sunday. Nwangwu played in nine regular-season games for the Vikings in 2023 and logged five carries for 13 yards.

Diana Russini expects Sam Darnold to make the QB market ‘competitive’

The arrival of Daniel Jones could prove to be the cheapest backup options for the team in 2025.

In terms of their quarterback situation, the Minnesota Vikings are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers around the NFL. The team signed Sam Darnold this offseason and then drafted the future of the franchise, J.J. McCarthy.

After seeing Sam Darnold play the way he has, Kevin O’Connell found his next project, which may end up being Darnold’s replacement.

The arrival of Daniel Jones could prove to be the cheapest backup option for the team in 2025. According to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, Sam Darnold has played his way into a big-time contract and it could create a “competitive” market for the veteran quarterback.

She writes, “Keep in mind that Darnold’s price might continue to go up as teams evaluate the draft and available free-agent quarterbacks. Front office executives believe that his experience and performance in Minnesota this season will make Darnold’s market competitive in March.”

With so many teams needing a quarterback and the 2025 class being less talented at the position than usual, Darnold could easily be compensated more than anyone expects. This makes the signing of Daniel Jones, even if it is just for the remainder of the year, that much more vital.

The remainder of the season for the Vikings will serve as one big sales pitch from the Vikings to Jones. If all goes well, they could give Jones a deal similar to the one that Darnold received this year for the team.

Cardinals top draft pick in 2024 set to make NFL debut against Vikings

The former first-round draft pick is on track to suit up against the Vikings.

Rookie defensive lineman Darrius Robinson has yet to play in a regular season game for the Arizona Cardinals since they selected him with the 27th overall pick during the 2024 NFL Draft. The former Missouri Tiger suffered an ankle injury during preseason which has sidelined him all season — up until now.

Cardinals’ head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters recently that Robinson was on track to play this weekend in Minnesota. Arizona had hoped Robinson would play last weekend against the Seahawks, but he was ultimately ruled out.

“Yeah, we’ll take it day by day. But yeah, he’s on track to play,” Jonathan Gannon told reporters when asked if Robinson was looking good for this week.

Robinson also spoke with reporters and he appeared to be in good spirits with getting on the field in the horizon.

“Doing great. It’s been a lot of ups and downs, but I just pray about it. I have great teammates to support me. Everybody in the Cardinals from Mr. Bidwill, Monti [Ossenfort], JG [Jonathan Gannon], my coach, like everyone’s done everything to support me, and I’m just so thankful for them,” he said

Vikings make a small jump ESPN Power Rankings after Week 12

After beating the Bears, Minnesota see a slight rise up the power rankings for ESPN.

Following the thrilling 30-27 overtime win over the Chicago Bears, the Vikings saw a slight rise in their ESPN power ranking. Entering Week 12, Minnesota was ranked No. 6, but after beating the Bears, the Vikings entered Week 13 as the fifth-best team in the NFL.

The FPI accurately puts the Vikings’ defense at the top of the reasons the team is in an excellent position for a playoff berth. Coordinator Brian Flores’ group bamboozled opposing quarterbacks early this season and has continued to find ways to pile up takeaways (22) and sacks (38). . . The Vikings have gotten far more from quarterback Sam Darnold, including 21 touchdown passes, than anyone could have expected.

On Sunday, the Vikings will host the Arizona Cardinals, who just lost to the Seahawks. According to ESPN, Arizona is the 14th-ranked team. The Cardinals are currently 6-5 on the year.

The game will go a long way for both teams attempting to earn a division title.

Kevin O’Connell discusses Vikings injuries from Bears win

The Vikings lost Cam Robinson, Ivan Pace, and Jay Ward to injury on Sunday against the Bears. Monday, Kevin O’Connell gave us an “update”.

On the positive side of things, the Minnesota Vikings have reeled off four straight wins after a two-game losing streak. They’re still just one game out of first place in the division, behind the Detroit Lions, and are comfortably in the thick of the NFC playoff picture.

Quarterback Sam Darnold, after a few shaky games in a row, has seemingly come out the other side and has gotten the offense rolling. It was so much so that the Vikings managed to accumulate a 300+ yard passer, 100+ yard rusher, and two 100+ yard receivers in a single game for the first time since 2000.

However, Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Vikings, as a couple of key injuries could hamper the Vikings’ chances going forward. Head coach Kevin O’Connell updated the media on Monday on the conditions of three such players: left tackle Cam Robinson, inside linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr., and safety Jay Ward.

Unfortunately, the update wasn’t much of one, as all that O’Connell had to say on the matter was that each player is “in evaluation mode” and declined to provide any further real updates on any of the three. However, O’Connell did clarify that Robinson’s foot injury is a repeat of the injury he suffered in the team’s game against his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Vikings Wire will update you as more information becomes available on Robinson’s, Pace’s, and Ward’s status.

Vikings remain among favorites to land free agent QB Daniel Jones

With Daniel Jones officially clearing waivers and free to sign with any team, the Minnesota Vikings are among the favorites to sign the QB.

Last week, the New York Giants made the somewhat surprising decision on Sunday to waive former starting quarterback Daniel Jones. The team had previously demoted him to third-string quarterback, and the two sides came to an agreement to part ways.

Now, a couple of days later, Jones has cleared waivers, and speculation about his next team has kicked into high gear.

In an appearance on NFL Gameday Monday morning, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport mentioned four teams as “front-runners” in the Daniel Jones sweepstakes, and the Minnesota Vikings were among those four teams.

In speaking on the Jones situation, Rapoport explained that no team was going to claim Jones of waivers due to the money Jones would be owed on his contract if any team were to claim him. Now that he’s cleared waivers, though, he’s free to sign with any team he chooses — likely for a veteran minimum contract ,according to Rapoport.

Rapoport then mentioned the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and Baltimore Ravens as teams that could be in play for Jones’ services. The 49ers may be the most likely choice, depending on how starting quarterback Brock Purdy continues to recover from a shoulder injury.

Rapoport also mentioned the Las Vegas Raiders as a potential suitor for Jones. Las Vegas recently had their starting quarterback, Gardner Minshew, go down for the season, which could potential mean a starting spot for Jones. However, Jones is reportedly seeking a team in the playoff hunt, which would seemingly eliminate the Raiders from contention.

If Jones were to sign with the Vikings, or with any other team for that matter, Rapoport mentions he would not be surprised if Jones does so on a practice squad to start, which would keep his options open should another starting quarterback go down with an injury elsewhere.

Two Vikings nominated for FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week

Following the thrilling win over the Bears, two Vikings are nominated to win Player of the Week.

After the Vikings’ thrilling overtime win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, two Minnesota players have been nominated for the FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week for fans to vote on.

Quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Jordan Addison are up for the vote in their respective categories. Contending with the two Vikings are Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa, Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, and Packers’ Josh Jacobs.

Darnold was 22-of-34 for 330 yards and two scores during the win over the Bears. He helped orchestrate several scoring drives and made crucial throws in the late going to give the Vikings a chance to win the game.

His favorite target in the afternoon was Addison. The second-year receiver hauled in eight catches for 162 yards and a score. With Justin Jefferson having an off game, Addison really stepped up and made several big-time plays for the Minnesota offense.

You can go in and vote for both Darnold and Addison to bring home the award.

Jets to use The 33rd Team, Rick Spielman for HC and GM search

The Jets will need help with their head coach and GM search. They will use The 33rd Team to help.

The New York Jets are sorting through their issues during the 2024 season. Even with Aaron Rodgers behind center, New York is having another down year and the franchise fired Robert Salah early on.

After Joe Douglas’s firing, the Jets are searching for a new head coach and general manager.

New York is retaining The 33rd Team to help the Jets find new leaders. Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and Vikings general manager Rick Spielman will lead the project for the NFL Technology and Media company. The 33rd Team will use its data analysis and experience to assist the Jets in their search for new leadership.

As Viking fans remember, Spielman was the General Manager from 2012 to 2021. During his tenure, the Vikings won four NFC North titles and made the playoffs six times. Spielman helped Minnesota draft Adrian Peterson and current wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Mike Zimmer coached the Vikings under Spielman.