Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Follow along for live updates throughout Sunday night football as the Minnesota Vikings take on the Denver Broncos.
The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.
Throughout the game, we will be breaking down the big moments on each drive, keeping you updated throughout if you can’t watch the game live.
Follow along all night as the Vikings look to extend their winning streak to six games.
Minnesota’s offense has been on a tear with Dobbs at the helm. To continue, they will need to follow these four keys to victory on Sunday.
What was once labeled as a throwaway game a few weeks ago has suddenly become one of the more interesting matchups on the docket for week 11.
The Minnesota Vikings head on the road to battle the Denver Broncos in primetime Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CST.
Minnesota is on a whopping five-game winning streak since starting the season 1-4, becoming one of the better feel-good stories in the NFL.
Denver has gone on a three-game winning streak of their own, including wins against powerhouses like the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.
During their win streak, their defense has been playing lights-out. The Broncos are sixth in EPA per play allowed and seventh in EPA per dropback allowed since week seven.
If the Vikings want to keep their winning streak going, they will need to follow these keys to success against this zoned-in Denver defense.
Minnesota will have a tough time topping last week’s performance, but to do it they will have to follow these four keys.
The Minnesota Vikings host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium for the next chapter in this already noteworthy season.
What Josh Dobbs was able to pull off against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday was truly remarkable, and deserves the fanfare that has received this season.
But now, it’s time to come back down to earth and face this top-ten defense from New Orleans. This team is aggressive in their approach, and they don’t hide what they do. But what they do, they do it very well.
Even in what feels like a down year for the Saints’ defense, they are still ninth in defensive DVOA.
While winnable, this game against the Saints will be a dogfight for this offense. For Minnesota to come out on top, they will need to follow these four keys to victory.
Did Hall do enough to keep the starting job once he returns from his concussion? Tyler Forness breaks down the all-22
The Minnesota Vikings looked like they possibly had a success story as a fifth-round pick Jaren Hall. He looked poised and comfortable under center and drove the Vikings down the field.
Unfortunately, Hall suffered a concussion on the second drive and didn’t get a chance to finish the game. It allowed Josh Dobbs to come in and lead the Vikings to their most memorable victory in some time.
It also creates a conundrum for the rest of the season. What do the Vikings do at the quarterback position the rest of the season? Do they stick with Dobbs or truly see what Hall has?
Based on his limited play, that might be worthwhile.
Vikings QB Josh Dobbs put together a historic performance on Sunday, and here’s why it’s even more exceptional than you may think.
“What’s up, everybody? My name is Josh Dobbs. I’m the quarterback for Minnesota. I wanted to introduce myself to everyone.”
That’s how new Minnesota Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs started his post-game press conference after his team beat the Atlanta Falcons, 31-28 on Sunday. Not the way you expect any quarterback to start a presser, but in Dobbs’ case, he may have felt that an introduction was necessary. After Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, head coach Kevin O’Connell’s plan was to start fifth-round rookie Jalen Hall against Atlanta. But Hall was concussed early in the game, and Dobbs — who the Vikings traded for on Tuesday from the Arizona Cardinals — had to come in and try to get something done.
Dobbs isn’t the first quarterback to have to paly with a new team with very little ramp-up time, but what he was able to do against a generally game Falcons defense was truly exceptional. With less than a week to acclimate to his new offense, Dobbs didn’t have time to learn the Vikings’ cadences and protections. And it wasn’t as if the Vikings had any other options — running back Cam Akers, who was Minnesota’s emergency quarterback, suffered his own Achilles injury against the Falcons. O’Connell, who played for the 2008 New England Patriots and had six passing attempts, may have had to suit up if anything happened to Dobbs.
No practice? No problem 🚀@Vikings | @josh_dobbs1 pic.twitter.com/dVXv1PvJV7
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) November 6, 2023
And it wasn’t just Akers who was out. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw was inactive with a groin injury. Receiver Justin Jefferson was still out with his hamstring injury, and receiver K.J. Osborn suffered a concussion in the Falcons game, and tight end T.J. Hockenson was playing through a rib injury.
Dobbs could and would have been excused for a disastrous performance under the circumstances, and there were early moments in which it looked as if things would fall apart. But Dobbs did an amazing job of getting it together, assisted by O’Connell and his staff, and a 31-28 Vikings win was the result.
“To Josh’s credit, it wasn’t as much as you would probably imagine, but we did condense down and create some things that we knew he would be comfortable with,” O’Connell said, when asked how much he had to water down his playbook for the new guy. “And his dialogue with [quarterbacks coach] Chris [O’Hara] and [assistant to the head coach/special projects] Grant [Udinski] that maybe wasn’t up on his initial game plan, but we can trust our guys to go execute.
“The no-huddle allowed us to settle everybody down and let me talk to him and give him some coaching points on the fly. That’s why you have those things on your offense. Once again, none of that is possible if he can’t come in here and – snap counts and formations and knowing where guys go and where guys are going to be when the ball hits his hands. Not to mention we’re playing against what I believe to be one of the better defenses we’ve played all season at home in the noise. I hope people understand that what Josh Dobbs was able to accomplish was very, very special, and I’m really proud of him.”
Dobbs completed 20 of 30 passes for 158 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 101.8. But the stats aren’t the story here — let’s get to the tape, and how the Vikings pulled off this
The final injury report for the Minnesota Vikings matchup with the Atlanta Falcons has been released with multiple players out
The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon with quarterback Jaren Hall getting his first start in the NFL.
The injury report for both teams is out and is much cleaner for the Vikings than it is their counterparts.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Brandon Powell has left the game versus the Green Bay Packers in the fourth quarter after a big hit.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Brandon Powell has left the game early in the fourth quarter. Powell made a reception early in the fourth quarter as the Vikings’ offense was once again driving on the Green Bay Packers’ defense. After the catch, Powell was hit by Packers defenders Quay Walker and Keisean Nixon.
Powell stayed down on the field immediately after the hit and was seen by Vikings medical staff. He was able to get off the field under his own power, but was in visible pain and taken to the medical tent immediately.
Powell hasn’t been much of a factor in today’s game, as the reception he was injured on was his first catch of the game. However, with Powell out, the already thin Vikings receiver corps gets even thinner. We’ll have more information on the injury as it becomes available.
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The Vikings offense has some standouts and the Pro Football Focus grades showcase that
The Minnesota Vikings are a fascinating team.
Despite a 2-4 start, the Vikings have good underlying metrics and Pro Football Focus has the offensive line as one of the best units in the National Football League.
As we head into week seven, here are the PFF grades for each member of the Vikings offense starting units in 11 and 12 personnel.
To make room for Cam Akers, the Vikings placed the wide receiver on injured reserve
When the Minnesota Vikings traded for running back Cam Akers, they had one too many players on the roster. To make room for him on the 53-man roster, the Vikings placed wide receiver Jalen Nailor on injured reserve.
Nailor missed time during training camp with the same injury. In fact, he didn’t play in a single preseason game.
It’s been a disappointing season for Nailor who the Vikings were very high on going into the season.
What does this mean for the Vikings receiving corps and special teams? Brandon Powell will step up into the WR4 role with one of Lucky Jackson and Trishton Jackson likely to be elevated. N’Keal Harry and Thayer Thomas are also options but not as likely.
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Heading into Thursday’s preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, these 10 Minnesota Vikings need a great performance.
After two weeks of Minnesota Vikings training camp, we are starting to see a divide between players at each position. Preseason games set things apart as well, as live game reps matter more than practice.
Throughout practice, there have been plenty of standouts, but the players who have been struggling are the ones that need a great performance. If you play well in a live game setting, that can change everything for your potential chances to earn a roster spot.
Here are 10 players that need to have a great game against the Seattle Seahawks to improve their chances to make the roster.
