Tag: Brian O’Neill

4 Vikings players to watch in Week 14 vs. Raiders

These Minnesota Vikings players will need to have a big game to get the win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon in a must-win game for both teams.

The Vikings currently sit at 6-6 and are the sixth seed in the NFC. They control their own destiny and will have a playoff spot just by winning out. They also can potentially win the NFC North with some help from the Detroit Lions. The Lions currently sit at 9-3 but have a very difficult schedule down the stretch.

The Raiders on the other hand need some help. They are 5-7 on the season and are 2-2 under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. If they get the win this week and next week over the Los Angeles Chargers, they could be within spitting distance of a wild card spot, a position they are currently two games out of heading into week 14.

Against the Raiders, these four players will need to have a good game to leave Las Vegas with a much-needed victory.

4 Vikings offensive keys in Week 14 vs. Raiders

The Vikings offense is struggling and they will need to perform well to beat the Raiders on Sunday

After having a bye week to lick their wounds from the two previous defeats, the Minnesota Vikings are back in action, this time on the road. Minnesota takes on the Las Vegas Raiders in Allegiant Stadium at 3:05 p.m. CST.

The Vikings offense struggled mightily in their two losses just before the bye week. In weeks 11 and 12, the Vikings’ offense was tied for 29th in EPA/play with the Cleveland Browns and in front of only the Carolina Panthers and the New York Jets.

Since cutting bait with Josh McDaniels and that regime, the Raiders’ defense has come alive.

Minnesota is still firmly in the playoff picture as they currently hold the second wild-card spot and the sixth seed in the playoffs. But those two losses to the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears may loom large as these were chances to distance themselves from the pack.

Instead, they are fighting off three teams with the same 6-6 record as they hold, including the Green Bay Packers, for a shot at the playoffs. Every game matters and the Vikings need to capitalize on each game.

If the Vikings want to get back to their winning ways against the Raiders, the offense has to look a lot better than it did before the bye. To do that, they will need to follow these four keys to victory.

5 matchups to watch in Week 14 Vikings vs. Raiders

These matchups will be key to win for the Vikings to take home the victory

The push to earn a playoff spot begins on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas for the Minnesota Vikings as they take on the Raiders.

As things currently sit, the Vikings control their own destiny to make the playoffs. They are currently the sixth seed and are in a win and in scenario.

The division is a different story for the Vikings. They are three games behind the Detroit Lions and need them to lose one more than the Vikings outside of their two matchups, both of which Minnesota needs to win.

As we head into the first game out of the bye, these five matchups will be critical for the Vikings to get a win.

Studs and duds from Vikings 12-10 loss vs. Bears

The studs and duds from Monday night’s loss were not favorable

The Minnesota Vikings failed to take advantage of the Detroit Lions losing on Thanksgiving Day by losing to the Chicago Bears 12-10 on Monday night football.

It was a frustrating loss on many accords. The Vikings turned the ball over four times against the Bears and they were all interceptions thrown by Josh Dobbs. His issues with ball placement came back to haunt the Vikings on multiple occasions.

As we look back at this game, it’s going to hurt for some time. The defense didn’t allow a touchdown and has allowed just one in their last eight quarters of football. The Vikings have put up three touchdowns in that span but have lost both games.

The studs and duds this week are evident as there were more poor performances than great ones.

Offensive PFF grades from Vikings win vs. 49ers

The offensive PFF grades look good, but don’t reflect how good the unit was

Not only did the Minnesota Vikings find a way to beat the San Francisco 49ers 22-17, but the entire dichotomy of the season has changed for the better.

Turnovers have been the catalyst to why the Vikings started 2-4 and that nearly happened again. Kirk Cousins threw an interception to Charvarius Ward on the third play of the game after he ripped it out of the hands of Jordan Addison.

The difference on Monday night was the Vikings forced a fumble of Christian McCaffrey just five plays later and the rest is history.

The grades from Pro Football Focus are in and don’t accurately reflect how dominant the Vikings were on Monday night.

Brian O’Neill fired up about win over 49ers: ‘It felt good to get that one back’

Monday’s win meant a little more to O’Neill

Sometimes, a win in the National Football League just hits a bit different than others do. For Minnesota Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill, it meant just a little more.

In speaking to reporters after the game, O’Neill was excited about the win and directly referenced the 27-10 playoff loss to the 49ers in the 2019 divisional round.

“A lot of us were here when they put it on us in the playoffs,” O’Neill said. “It felt good to get that one back. I felt like they talked a little bit too much when we played them in training camp last year — some late hits on our guys, trying to play the bully ball. You meet the bully in the middle schoolyard, and you hash it out. That’s what we did.”

The Vikings didn’t just win the game, they dominated in the trenches. O’Neill and left tackle Christian Darrisaw stood out as the Vikings held the 49ers to a 25% pressure rate per ESPN Stats and Info.

The Vikings saved their season, and it has rejuvenated the locker room.

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Studs and duds from Vikings 22-17 upset vs. 49ers

From Kirk Cousins to Camryn Bynum and Alexander Mattison, here are the studs and duds from Monday night’s upset victory

The Minnesota Vikings found a way to save their season by upsetting the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 22-17.

The Vikings came out of the gate poorly by throwing an interception on the third play of the game. Thankfully, they forced a Christian McCaffrey fumble just five plays later and scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.

Throughout the game, the Vikings never felt like they left the drivers seat. The defense was pressuring Brock Purdy consistently and not allowing him enough time to drive the ball down the field on the in-breaking routes and crossers that Kyle Shanahan likes to throw.

The game itself provided many standout performances and we highlight them in this weeks studs and duds.

Zulgad: Vikings’ reliance on Alexander Mattison in run game raises questions

The Vikings reliance on Alexander Mattison in the running game raises some major questions writes Judd Zulgad

The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason pivot at running back included rewarding running back Alexander Mattison with a two-year, $7 million contract after the decision was made to move on from veteran Dalvin Cook.

Cook was nearing the end of a five-year, $63 million contract and the assumption was the Vikings wanted to flip to more of a running back by committee situation. That would start with Mattison but not require him to be a bellcow in the backfield.

The likely scenario as training camp opened was that Mattison would be the lead back (1A) and Ty Chandler and Kene Nwangwu would battle for the job as the 1B running back.

But during the Vikings’ 2-4 start little has gone as expected and the running back situation is one of them. The Vikings are 30th in the NFL in rushing, averaging 75 yards per game, and they join the Pittsburgh Steelers as one of two teams without a rushing touchdown this season.

So what’s gone wrong?

Vikings PFF grades on offense through 6 games

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.

Fact or myth: Exploring 7 Vikings narratives

The are many narratives surrounding the Minnesota Vikings and Tyler Forness explores whether they are a fact or a myth

The Minnesota Vikings are a team in transition right now. After moving on form longtime coach Mine Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman, they shifted directions with the hiring of both Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

The message was simple: we want to become offensive-minded and focus on premium positions.

The results so far have been mixed. The Vikings finished the season 13-4 in 2022 but have started 2-4 in 2023. The reasons behind both their success and lack-there-of have been major points of contention for the majority of the fan base.

Today, we are going to parse it all out. We looked at seven different narratives surrounding the Vikings and explored whether they are a fact or a myth.