Category: Minnesota Vikings

What does Bears’ win mean for Vikings?

The Chicago Bears beat the Dallas Cowboys 31-24 on Thursday Night Football, improving to 7-6 on the season.

The Chicago Bears beat the Dallas Cowboys 31-24 on Thursday Night Football, improving to 7-6 on the season.

With the loss, Dallas falls to 6-7 on the season.

What does Chicago’s win mean for the NFC playoff prospects?

Chicago is 1.5 games back from the Vikings in the wild card hunt with the Vikings set to play the Lions on Sunday. Minnesota should win that game, but if the Vikings were to lose, things would get real interesting in the NFC wild card hunt.

The Bears have the tiebreaker over the Vikings, but the two teams do play again in Week 17 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

As of now, the Bears have just a five percent chance to make the postseason, but if the Vikings fall to the Lions and the Rams (who are 7-5) fall to the Seahawks in Week 14, that numbers jumps to 15 percent.

If the Vikings beat Detroit, their percentage to make the playoffs increases to 82 percent, per FiveThirtyEight.

Vikings open as double-digit favorites vs. Lions

The 8-4 Vikings are in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt and host a 3-8-1 Lions squad in Week 14.

The 8-4 Vikings are in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt and host a 3-8-1 Lions squad in Week 14.

Per BetMGM, the Vikings have opened as 12.5-point favorites. A bet on the Vikings to cover pays at -115. A bet on the Lions to cover pays at -106.

The straight money line bet on the Vikings pays at -667 while one on the Lions pays at +480.

The over/under for the game is listed at 42.5. A bet on the over pays at -110 while a bet on the under pays at -106.

The Vikings are 75-39-2 all-time against the Lions and have won the last four games, most recently on Oct. 20 this season by a score of 42-30.

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Vikings WR Adam Thielen out of Thursday’s practice

It seems unlikely that Thielen will play on Sunday against the Lions.

For the second-straight day, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) as held out of practice. It’s starting to seem unlikely that Thielen will suit up on Sunday against the Lions, but we’ll see what his status is on Friday.

Also missing Thursday’s practice was starting left tackle Riley Reiff (concussion).

If Reiff can’t play, we’ll see Rashod Hill start at tackle.

Limited in practice was nose tackle Linval Joseph (knee), running back Dalvin Cook (chest), defensive end Everson Griffen (knee) and defensive tackle Shamar Stephen (knee).

Listed on the injury report as full participants include linebacker Eric Wilson (shoulder) and safety Harrison Smith (hamstring).

We’ll get the players’ official injury designation for Sunday’s game on Friday afternoon.

Kirk Cousins remains 7th in QB rankings

Through 12 games, Cousins has thrown for 3,032 yards, 23 touchdowns, and four interceptions

The Vikings may have lost in Week 13 against the Seahawks, but it’d be wrong to put that on Cousins. He threw for nearly 300 yards to go with two touchdowns and an interception that went off the hands on Stefon Diggs.

On the season, Cousins has thrown for 3,032 yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions. That has him on pace for 4,042 yards and 30 touchdowns. More importantly, he has the Vikings to an 8-4 record.

In NFL.com’s quarterback rankings, Cousins ranks seventh, which is where he was last week as well.

Here’s a snippet of what was written about him:

The good news is he has a scrumptious matchup with the Lions’ defense this weekend. Cousins has averaged the longest time to throw in 2019 (2.97 seconds), and he’s been tremendous when he has 2.5+ seconds to throw (18 TDs, 3 INTs). Why do I mention this? Because Detroit has given opposing QBs 3.05 seconds to throw this season, making it the only team to allow more than 2.9 seconds to throw. Seems like the perfect time for Kirk to heat right back up.

Cousins has a huge opportunity to not only have a big game, but also lead the Vikings to a much-needed win at home against the Lions.

To round out the NFC North, Aaron Rodgers ranks fifth, Mitchell Trubisky ranks tied for 26th and David Blough ranks 31st.

You can check out the full list here.

Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. makes NFL.com’s All-Rookie Team

Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. has been solid for Minnesota in his rookie season.

Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. has been solid for Minnesota in his rookie season.

The second-round pick out of Alabama has 28 catches for 267 yards and a touchdown. While those numbers might not jump out, it’s worth noting that Smith is doing this behind Kyle Rudolph on the roster.

His performance has earned him a spot on NFL.com’s 2019 Offensive All-Rookie Team.

Here’s a snippet of what was written about Smith:

It’s a major upset that neither Iowa Hawkeyes standout claimed this spot, but Denver’s Noah Fant has been one of the most mistake-prone starters at any position and Detroit’s T.J. Hockenson wasn’t much better before landing on injured reserve with an ankle ailment sustained on Thanksgiving Day. Smith has been better than advertised as a blocker while helping to fill the receiving void left by Pro Bowl wideout Adam Thielen’s extended absence due to a hamstring injury.

Smith has a Pro Football Focus grade of 66.9, a mark that ranks 24th among tight ends in the NFL.

Expect Vikings put plenty of pressure on Lions QB David Blough

The Vikings are going from facing Russell Wilson in Week 13, to David Blough in Week 14. This is no disrespect to one Davdi Blough, but he is no Russell Wilson. On Thanksgiving, though, Blough held his own, throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns …

The Vikings are going from facing Russell Wilson in Week 13, to David Blough in Week 14.

This is no disrespect to one Davdi Blough, but he is no Russell Wilson.

On Thanksgiving, though, Blough held his own, throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns against a tough Bears defense. He did throw an interception and was sacked twice.

With Jeff Driskel on the IR and Matthew Stafford (back) out, Blough will likely get his second-straight start.

My guess is that the Vikings will put a lot of pressure on Blough, giving him plenty of blitz looks to avoid giving Blough too much time against a secondary that has really struggled in 2019.

The last time the Vikings faced the Lions, Stafford nearly threw for 400 yards and Marvin Jones caught four touchdowns. Even without Stafford, I would imagine Detroit will take that same approach against the Vikings on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Vikings list Reiff, Joseph and Thielen as non-participants in Wednesday’s practice

Dalvin Cook was limited.

The Vikings didn’t have practice on Wednesday considering they just played on Monday night, but due to NFL policy, they had to give an estimation of who would practice on Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s game against the Lions.

Minnesota estimated that tackle Riley Reiff (concussion), defensive tackle Linval Joseph (knee) and wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) would have missed practice.

Running back Dalvin Cook, who left Monday night’s game, was limited with a chest injury. Also limited was defensive end Everson Griffen (knee), linebacker Eric Wilson (shoulder), safety Harrison Smith (hamstring) and defensive tackle Shamar Stephen (knee).

The Vikings will practice again on Thursday before the official injury report comes out on Friday.

Former Vikings S Paul Krause a finalist for NFL’s All-Time Team

Krause owns the NFL all-time record with 81 career interceptions and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.

The NFL is putting together a top-100 list for their all-time team to celebrate its 100th season.

We’ve already seen two players in Alan Page and John Randle be named to the team.

The NFL is releasing the team in stages. Former Vikings safety Paul Krause is a finalist in the defensive backs category.

Krause owns the NFL all-time record with 81 career interceptions and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988. He started at safety in four Super Bowls for the Vikings from 1964-1979. He is an eight-time Pro Bowler and a three-time First Team All-Pro.

Krause spent the first four seasons of his career with the Redskins before spending the final 12 seasons of his career with the Vikings.

It seems like a pretty good bet that Krause would be on this team, but we’ll find out for sure on Friday at 7 p.m. CT on NFL Network.

The full list of the finalists are here.

Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes: ‘I need to play better’

It’s not a secret that Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes has been underwhelming this season.

It’s not a secret that Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes has been underwhelming this season.

That was displayed on national TV on Monday night. Rhodes got torched for a deep touchdown, got called for unneccessary roughness and threw a temper tantrum on the sideline.

In season No. 7 for Rhodes, he has a Pro Football Focus grade of 47.6. That’s the worst mark of his career and a spot that ranks 116th among 123 graded cornerbacks in the NFL.

On Wednesday, Rhodes admitted that he does in fact have to play better.

Rhodes is the seventh-highest paid cornerback in the NFL in 2019, making $10.9 million. There’s a pretty good chance that the Vikings either part ways or restructure Rhodes’ deal this offseason. Rhodes is due $10.5 million in 2020 and the Vikings can get out from that with a $4.8 million cap hit.

At only 29, the Vikings were hoping that Rhodes’ decline last season was just a blip. Now it seems like the norm.

The refs weren’t great to the Vikings on MNF

There were a few calls which seemed obvious that the refs missed in Monday night’s Vikings and Seahawks game.

The Minnesota Vikings did plenty to lose the game in Seattle against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, but referees around the league continue to miss obvious calls. Even if some of the no calls were called on Monday night, it is likely the Vikings still would have ended up in the loss column. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the NFL’s refs are missing some of the easier calls around the league. 

It has been a struggle for head coaches to win a challenge for pass interference, even if it is blatantly obvious. Although these will be examples from the loss against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, that doesn’t change the fact that this is happening all around the league. 

Example 1: What is pass interference?

On this play, Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs is clearly interfered with, but there is no flag. With how hard it has been to challenge plays like this since the ruled changed, Mike Zimmer kept the challenge flag in his pocket for a good reason. 

Example 2: What is a false start?

It might be close, but it is clear that Seattle’s left tackle Duane Brown moves before the ball is snapped. There is always a ref watching the line of scrimmage, so it’s hard to believe something like this goes unnoticed. 

Example 3: Is delay of game still a thing?

This is the most self-explanatory of them all, and there is a ref who pays attention to the clock on every play. The clock clearly gets down to 00 before the snap, so it should have been a delay of game. 

Refs have been a topic of discussion after numerous games this year, and there’s always going to be missed calls. The nature of the game will not allow every call to be made correctly, but that doesn’t negate the fact that the obvious calls should be made. 

The Vikings did plenty on their own to shoot themselves in the foot, and the outcome of the game probably wouldn’t have changed based on the missed calls above. However, the simplest of calls continue to get missed by the top referees in the world.