Category: Minnesota Vikings

Vikings offense accomplishes feat not seen in nearly 25 years

With the Vikings offensive outburst on Sunday, they notched a 300+ passer, 100+ rusher, and two 100+ receivers for the first time since 2000

The game started off ugly for the Minnesota Vikings, with an early turnover deep in Chicago territory, and with two key players going down with injury. The game ended ugly, with the Vikings’ defense allowing 17 fourth-quarter points to the Bears, pushing the game to overtime before ultimately coming out on top for their fourth-straight win.

But somewhere in the middle, there was a highly competent offense – something that Vikings fans haven’t seen much of these days. Even during the recent four-game win streak, consistent high-level play from the offense has been hard to come by. Yet on Sunday against the Bears, the Vikings were able to pull off a feat they haven’t accomplished since November of 2000.

With the Vikings’ offensive output on Sunday, they notched a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher, and not one but two 100-yard receivers in a single game for the first time in nearly a quarter-century. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw all over the Vikings’ secondary to the tune of a 116.1 quarterback rating, 330 yards passing, and two touchdowns.

His two favorite targets on Sunday, wide receiver Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, did most of the heavy lifting for the offense. Both players were targeted nine times on the day, with Addison coming down with eight of his nine targets for 162 yards – a whopping 20.3 yard-per-catch average – and a touchdown. Hockenson was able to capitalize seven times on his targets for 114 yards, himself.

Not to be outdone by his pass-catching counterparts, Aaron Jones got in on the offensive onslaught, too. Jones carried the ball 22 times on the day for just over 100 yards (106, in total), including a 41-yard burst that has rarely been seen by the Vikings’ rushing attack over the past two seasons. And just for good measure, Jones also added three receptions of his own for 23 yards.

Vikings fans can’t realistically expect this sort of offensive outburst from the Vikings consistently going forward. But Sunday’s game was a good example of just how potent the Vikings’ offense can be when it’s firing on all cylinders.

WATCH: Bears muffed punt leads to Vikings touchdown

The Bears thought they would get the ball back down seven, but the Vikings ended up two scores after Chicago’s mistake.

After the Vikings took a 17-10 lead, Minnesota and Chicago both remained stagnant offensively and neither team could move the ball much let alone score. But things changed after Sam Darnold missed Justin Jefferson on a third down.

Minnesota was forced to punt, and when Ryan Wright punted the ball away, Chicago’s DeAndre Carter muffed the punt, and Vikings’ UDFA Bo Richter recovered the ball at Chicago’s 15-yard line. Darnold then hit Jordan Addison to get closer, and running back Aaron Jones capped it off with a two-yard touchdown run to give Minnesota a 24-10 lead toward the end of the third quarter.

With Jones scoring that touchdown, a wild stat came with it.

That was the Vikings’ first second-half rushing touchdown by a running back in 27 games. They were 4 games away from tying the record held by the Dayton Triangles.

Minnesota is currently up 24-10 at the end of the third quarter. The Vikings will have the ball to start the fourth.

Bears have FG blocked second week in a row – this time by the Vikings

For the second week in a row, the Bears had a field goal blocked.

It’s been a tough week for the Chicago Bears and their special teams. Kicker Cairo Santos had his kick blocked last week by the Green Bay Packers, which caused them to lose to them.

Fast forward one week later, Santos went to attempt a 48-yard field goal against the Vikings, and defensive tackle Jerry Tillery blocked Santos’ kick and Brian Asomoah II returned the kick 21 yards in favor of Minnesota.

The Bears had all week to sort through their kicking woes but the Vikings capitalized on a weak spot on the offensive line. Tillery appeared to be in the same spot where the kick was blocked a week ago against Green Bay.

Thanks to a successful Kevin O’Connell challenge, Chicago had to kick the field goal. Caleb Williams threw a 24-yard pass to Keenan Williams onto the Vikings’ six-yard line. But Allen didn’t have two feet in which made it fourth down and forced Chicago to kick.

WATCH: Blazing hot start by Jordan Addison gets the Vikings on the board

Addison gets the Vikings started after catching a score in the second quarter.

It was a typical start for the Vikings at Solider Field. Minnesota drove down the field on its first possession but Aaron Jones fumbled the ball on the Bears’ two-yard line. Chicago then would take the ball down the field and score a touchdown to put the Bears up 7-0.

But thanks to second-year wide receiver Jordan Addison, the Vikings would bounce back. Addison had a couple of stellar catches, including a 45-yard reception to get the Vikings inside the Bears’ five-yard line. Once Minnesota got close to the goal line, the Vikings wouldn’t try to run the football — like last time. This time, Kevin O’Connell turned to his red-hot receiver, and Sam Darnold connected with Addison for a score to tie the game at 7-7.

Addison currently has three catches for 57 yards and a score. His counterpart, Justin Jefferson, has been held catchless so far in the contest. You can guess that the Vikings will try to get Jefferson going here in the near going.

Vikings turnover woes continue against the Bears

The Vikings are leading the league in a category you don’t want to see.

It was a picture-perfect start for the Vikings on Sunday in Chicago against the Bears. Minnesota forced the Bears to punt on their first possession and the Vikings quickly appeared to get things going offensively. Running back Aaron Jones had a 41-yard scamper to get the Vikings inside the Bears’ five-yard line. But Jones would end up fumbling the football and giving it back to Chicago on their own two-yard line.

Jones’ fumble would be the ninth first-possession turnover by the Vikings since the beginning of last season. That’s three more turnovers than any other team in the NFL.

Last season, Minnesota had many turnover issues between Alexander Mattison, Kirk Cousins, and others. But this season hasn’t been much better, with Sam Darnold’s interceptions and the team’s fumbling issues.

The Vikings and Bears are currently tied at 0-0, and Minnesota will have to reduce its turnovers to win in Chicago.

Vikings named as likely landing spot for free agent QB

What about the backup option for J.J. McCarthy? They won’t be bringing back Sam Darnold, but could there be a free-agent fit?

The Minnesota Vikings are set at quarterback for the foreseeable future. Immediately, they are rolling with Sam Darnold and are now 8-2 with him as the man under center. Long-term, they have J.J. McCarthy, who the team remains fully committed to after seeing what he could do in his lone preseason game in August.

What about the backup option for J.J. McCarthy? They won’t be bringing back Sam Darnold, but could there be a free-agent fit?

On Thursday, the New York Giants released quarterback Daniel Jones after benching him in favor of Tommy DeVito before their Week 12 game. Jones was the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft and never found consistent success in New York.

Could the Vikings and Kevin O’Connell be a fit for another former New York quarterback reclamation project?

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Sunday morning that the Vikings and Ravens were the two teams likely to attempt to sign Jones after he clears waivers. Jones could make sense for the team to use as a backup behind J.J. McCarthy next season at a much cheaper rate than most other quarterback options.

Sam Darnold has played his way into a bigger contract as a starter so with his expected departure, the team needs a reliable option.

Vikings waive cornerback Akayleb Evans ahead of Week 12 against Bears

Akayleb Evans, who started the season with meaningful reps, is now being waived by the Vikings ahead of their Week 12 matchup.

The Minnesota Vikings secondary has proven to be an asset to Brian Flores’s defense goals this season. His pressures up front have allowed the defensive backs to take advantage of rushed throws all year, but not everyone has.

Akayleb Evans, who started the season with meaningful reps, is now being waived by the Vikings ahead of their Week 12 matchup with the Bears.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media first reported the news on Saturday morning.

Ben Goessling of The Athletic pointed out that Evans had been relegated to special teams work in recent weeks, but his release was still a bit of a shock. The Vikings had five cornerbacks under contract beyond the season, but with Evans’s release, they now have just four.

The team has been bringing back players from the injured reserve, with the next one up being tight end Nick Muse. This could lead to his elevation to the active roster or to undrafted rookie Dwight McGlothern seeing his first NFL action.

Is the Vikings-Cardinals Week 13 matchup being flexed to Monday Night?

In Week 13, the team faces off against the emerging Arizona Cardinals in a game that has national attention but will not get the spotlight. 

The NFL is known to flex games in its schedule if the primetime games no longer fit the bill. This year, we have seen the Vikings get a flex into Sunday Night Football for their matchup against the Colts.

In Week 13, the team faces off against the emerging Arizona Cardinals in a game that has national attention but will not get the spotlight.

According to Zack Kelberman of Mile High Huddle, keeping the national spotlight of Sunday Night Football will be a matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, which makes sense. The matchup that many expected to be flipped was Monday Night Football, in which the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos will face off.

The Browns have just two wins this season but have a star player in Myles Garrett and the Broncos have breakout rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Evidently, that takes president over an 8-2 Vikings team going against a high-powered Cardinals offense with a chip on their shoulders.

Vikings front office member expected to interview for GM openings

With the Minnesota Vikings having a better than expected season in 2024, could Ryan Grigson be a GM candidate for the New York Jets in 2025?

There are still several weeks of the NFL season left to play, but the NFL’s coaching carousel has already begun. The New York Jets kicked off this year’s cycle by firing their head coach Robert Saleh in early October. The Las Vegas Raiders were next to make moves, clearing out several coordinators but keeping head coach Antonio Pierce — for now.

The Saints followed up by firing head coach Dennis Allen in early November, and the Bears followed by firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron but keeping head coach Matt Eberflus—again, for now.

Then, the Jets kicked off the front-office carousel by firing their general manager, Joe Douglas, kicking their personnel search into high gear. A number of people across the NFL landscape are going to be hot commodities for these positions, and at least one of those people could come from the Minnesota Vikings.

According to ESPN’s NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler, current Vikings senior VP of player personnel Ryan Grigson could be a name to watch for the Jets’ opening or any other openings that become available. Grigson has helped build a Vikings team that exceeded expectations in 2024 and has added a number of high-quality talents to the roster since arriving in 2022.

Grigson also has previous experience as a GM in the league, serving in that position for the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 to 2016. That tenure was notable for the Colts taking former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Luck, along with Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano, immediately turned the Colts’ fortunes around. From a lowly 2-14 team in 2011, they finished second in the AFC South with an 11-5 record in 2012. Grigson’s Colts won their division the next two seasons and made the playoffs.

Ultimately, though, the Colts could never get over the hump during Grigson’s tenure, and Grigson was fired after the Colts turned in back-to-back 8-8 seasons, missing the playoffs in two straight seasons for the first time since the beginning of the Peyton Manning era in Indianapolis.

Enough time has passed since his Colts’ tenure, and the Vikings have done well enough that Grigson will likely get a second chance at a GM gig if he wants it. Grigson’s days with the Vikings could be numbered whether that’s this year or in the near future.

NFL poll says teams fear Ja’Marr Chase over Vikings’ Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson is one of the most feared wide receivers in the NFL, but coaches reportedly fear one player even more than the Vikings star

It’s undeniable that Minnesota Vikings‘ wide receiver Justin Jefferson is one of the best in the position in the NFL- and is on the path to becoming one of the best wide receivers in NFL history. Last week, he broke both the team record and the league record for most receiving yards in a player’s first five seasons. Last season, even though he only played nine games due to injury, he still broke the 1,000-yard mark. His talent is inarguable.

What is arguable, it seems, is just how highly he ranks among his peers and who at the position strikes the most fear in opposing coaches. According to ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler, “Many scouts and coaches believe (Ja’Marr) Chase strikes more fear in opponents because of his big-play ability. He’s validating that belief, which means the price tag only goes up.”

That line was in reference to whether or not the Cincinnati Bengals are going to be willing to give Chase a large contract in the offseason as the Vikings did with Jefferson this previous offseason. On the surface, there’s some merit to that stance, as Chase is in the running for the “Triple Crown” this season, leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

However, when you look at it a little deeper, the claim of “better big-play ability” doesn’t necessarily hold water — at least with regards to this season. Though Jefferson is trailing Chase in the counting stats, it is Jefferson, and not Chase, who has the edge in yards per reception — 15.5 to 14.5. Jefferson also has the longer longest reception this season, 97 yards to 70, and has more “big play” receptions (receptions of 20+ yards) this season than Chase.

Regardless of whether or not the anonymous scouts and coaches are right, Chase and Jefferson are neck-and-neck for the best receiver in the NFL, and Chase is likely in line for a Jefferson-like payday this offseason, though the team could opt to have Chase play on his fifth-year option and kick the can down the road for another year.