Armon Watts – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Vikings PFF grades: Top defensive performers from Week 6

Who was the star of the Vikings defense in Week 6 against the Panthers?

Panthers QB Sam Darnold did not have a lot of success against the Vikings defense.

Yes, Darnold drove his team down the field at the end of the fourth quarter, which eventually led to Carolina and Minnesota heading into overtime. Other than that drive, though, the Vikings defense stifled the Panthers en route to the victory.

The group gave up 21 points (Carolina had a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown to get to 28 total points). Here are the Vikings’ best, qualifying defensive players, according to PFF:

Note: James Lynch would have made this list, but he only played 13 defensive snaps on Sunday. Lynch earned a PFF grade of 76.7.

Eight Vikings to watch ahead of the preseason opener vs. the Broncos

Here are some Vikings players to keep an eye on this week.

The Vikings will start off the preseason with the new-look Broncos on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

To Minnesota fans, Denver might not look that new. Teddy Bridgewater, Mike Boone, Brett Jones and Shamar Stephen are all on the Broncos roster after playing for the Vikings earlier in their careers. There’s also George Paton and Kelly Kleine, two ex-members of the Minnesota front office, who have since left for Denver.

So there will be plenty of former Vikings to watch throughout this week when the two teams face off in joint practices and the preseason opener. Here are some current Vikings to watch:

Minnesota Vikings Week 17 injury designations: 4 defensive starters ruled OUT

The Detroit Lions (5-10) Week 17 opponent, the Minnesota Vikings (6-9), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game.

The Detroit Lions (5-10) Week 17 opponent, the Minnesota Vikings (6-9), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game and they will be without several starters.

Here’s a look at the Vikings’ full injury designations list.

Injury designations

Player	Position	Injury	Designation
Dalvin Cook	RB (starter)	Not-injury related	OUT
Alexander Mattison	RB	Concussion	Cleared to play
C.J. Ham	FB	Quad	Cleared to play
Riley Reiff	LT (starter)	COVID-19	Reserve/COVID-19
Ifeadi Odenigbo	DE (starter)	Chest	OUT
Jalyn Holmes	DE (starter)	Groin	OUT
Armon Watts	DT	Ankle	Cleared to play
Eric Kendricks	LB (starter)	Calf	OUT
Troy Dye	LB	Concussion/Hamstring	Cleared to play
Todd Davis	LB	Ribs	Cleared to play
Cameron Dantzler	CB (starter)	Hamstring	OUT
Chris Jones	CB	Groin	OUT
Dan Bailey	K (starter)	Back	Questionable

Cook’s father passed away on Tuesday and he has returned home to be with his family. He will not play in this weekend’s game. Cook’s absence means Mattison — who was just cleared from the league’s concussion protocol — will get the start at running back.

Rieff was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, but the timeline for when he was identified is unclear. If he is not able to clear league protocols, the Vikings will turn to Rashod Hill at left tackle.

Odenigbo and Holmes were not the Vikings EDGE starters at the beginning of the year, but after Danielle Hunter went on I.R. and Yannick Ngakoue was traded, they were elevated into starting roles. With both ruled out, the Vikings will be on their third set of EDGE rushers for this matchup.

Kendricks is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and his absence will leave another massive hole in the Vikings front-7.

Last week, the Vikings starting three cornerbacks were: rookies Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler, along with Chris Jones — yes, former Lion Chris Jones. With Dantzler and Jones ruled out, the Vikings will start Gladney and likely Harrison Hand — yet another rookie corner.

Six Vikings players who need to have a good training camp

These Vikings players will need to have good training camps in order to step into new roles or stay in their old ones:

In a turbulent offseason, the Vikings will have one of the more important training camps in recent memory.

The overhaul of the team’s roster has led to new players vying for opening roster spots. One of those new players, Michael Pierce, has opted out of the 2020 NFL season.

“I have really bad asthma among other respiratory issues, so it’s not one of those voluntary opt-outs. It’s a high-risk opt-out,” Pierce told Tomasson.

So that leaves plenty of intrigue as training camp progresses. Here are six Vikings players who will have to have good training camps in order to step into new roles or stay in their old ones:

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Three possible scenarios for the Vikings defensive tackles next season

With Vikings DT Michael Pierce reportedly opting out of the 2020 season, here are some possible scenarios for the Vikings interior defensive line.

Minnesota defensive tackle Michael Pierce, arguably the biggest free agent signing for the Vikings this offseason, will reportedly opt out of the 2020 season.

That leaves a hole that Pierce was going to presumably fill after Linval Joseph left in free agency.

So the nose tackle spot on the Vikings defense is now open. Pierce is a big loss for 2020, but Minnesota still has some options on the interior of the defensive line.

Operating on the assumption that the NFL season is to take place in 2020, here are some personnel pairings that Minnesota can go with at defensive tackle now that Pierce reportedly isn’t playing:

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Predicting the Vikings’ starters for the 2020 NFL season

Who will the Vikings start in 2020? See Vikings Wire’s predictions with brief analysis!

Minnesota has had its share of offseason turnover, but the team has attempted to reload through the draft and free agency.

The Vikings drafted Justin Jefferson, who can come in and replace some of Stefon Diggs’ production. Diggs was traded to the Bills for draft picks.

The team also saw a mass exodus in the secondary, most notably two starting cornerbacks and a nickel corner.

There are some reasons I picked more than 22 starting positions for this piece, despite there only being 11 starters on each side of the ball.

The first is because of the nickel package that the Vikings so often employ. The nickel corner is important so I predicted who that will be. The next is that the Vikings can play three wide receivers, so I guessed who those three would be.

Who gets the starting spots? See below for all the predictions and analysis!

Offensive line:

Riley Reiff, Pat Elflein, Garrett Bradbury, Dru Samia, Brian O’Neill

Analysis: Reiff keeps his spot on the offensive line, beating out Ezra Cleveland. Cleveland could possibly earn the starting position later on, but he might need time to adjust. Samia steps into the starting right guard spot to replace Josh Kline.

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