Jordan Addison

Jordan Addison named Vikings biggest in-season improvement by ESPN

Jordan Addison’s strong second half of the season has earned him the title of ‘team’s biggest in-season improvement’ according to ESPN.

Despite coming into the season with low expectations from most pundits, the Minnesota Vikings started the 2024 NFL season on fire. They came out and shocked most people, starting the season off with five straight wins, including wins over some impressive teams like the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers.

Then the wheels momentarily fell off, and the Vikings lost two straight games. Now, however, the Vikings have managed to right the ship and reeled off seven straight wins. A large portion of that is due to the emergence of wide receive Jordan Addison as a legitimate complement to perennial All-Pro Justin Jefferson.

Addison started the year off underwhelming to say the least. Before the season even started, Addison had run-ins with the law that created questions around him early in the season. Even after the season started, Addison wasn’t playing like it had. Over the first eight games of the season, Addison only had 19 receptions and just two touchdowns, missing two games in the process.

However, as the Vikings hit their stride again in the second half of the season, so did Addison. It is so much so that ESPN analyst Kevin Seifert has named Addison the team’s biggest improvement over the season. Since Week 9, Addison has exploded for 37 receptions, 540 yards, and six touchdowns.

That explosion in production has helped the Vikings score 30 or more points in three of their last four games and has the team in a great position to make a late-season run to capture the NFC North and the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

USC Vikings Sam Darnold and Jordan Addison continue to shine

Sam Darnold and Jordan Addison continue to strengthen their USC Vikings connection. Minnesota needs Detroit to lose if it wants to win the NFC North.

Another week, another big win for the Minnesota Vikings. Once again, the Vikings were led by two Trojans, both of whom enjoyed career days. This past Sunday, the Vikings defeated the Atlanta Falcons 42-21. In a game that was supposed to be about Falcons’ quarterback Kirk Cousins returning to Minnesota, it was current Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold who stole the show. Darnold completed 22 of 28 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns in by far the best performance of his professional career. Three of those touchdown passes came to second-year wide receiver Jordan Addison, who also had a career day.

Addison’s three scores were a career high, as were his eight receptions. The 133 receiving yards were the second most he has ever put up, behind only a 166-yard effort against the Bears earlier this season.

Speaking of the Bears, the Vikings will now gear up for a Monday Night Football matchup with Caleb Williams and Chicago. At 11-2, Minnesota sits just one game back of the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC North. The two teams will meet in the Motor City on the final weekend of the regular season, potentially with the division title on the line.

The Vikings hope the Buffalo Bills will beat the Lions in the biggest NFL game of the weekend, arguably the season, this Sunday afternoon in Detroit.

Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison achieve Vikings history together

Vikings’ wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison combined on Sunday to do something no other duo in team history had accomplished

The Minnesota Vikings have had a number of great receivers throughout their history. Cris Carter and Randy Moss are both Hall of Fame wide receivers and are widely considered two of the best ever to play the game. Jake Reed was an integral complement to Carter on a number of Vikings’ teams of the 90s.

In more modern times, Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs have contributed to some of the best pre-Justin Jefferson seasons and some of the best moments in Minnesota Vikings history — like the Minneapolis Miracle. And yet, despite all the greats who have put on a Vikings’ uniform at the position, the current duo of receivers achieved something on Sunday that no tandem in Vikings’ history was able to.

With both Jefferson and his counterpart Jordan Addison having breakout days on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, ruining Kirk Cousins’ return to Minnesota, they became the first duo in Vikings history to both have 100+ receiving yards and two touchdowns in the same game.

To take their accomplishment a step further, they became just the fifth duo in NFL history (in the Super Bowl era) to each have over 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns in the same game. The display was the clearest sign yet of what this offense is capable of when it’s firing on all cylinders.

Sam Darnold and Caleb Williams brought back special memories for USC fans

Round 1 of Caleb Williams versus Sam Darnold went to the 2017 Rose Bowl star and Pac-12 champion. Round 2 will be on Monday Night Football in December.

On Sunday in Chicago, two former USC quarterbacks faced off in a Trojan versus Trojan showdown. In an exciting game that required overtime, Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings defeated Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears, 30-27. It was a USC football showcase which provided top-notch drama and thrills.

Late in the fourth quarter, Minnesota looked like they were firmly in control. The Vikings led 27-16 with under two minutes left to play. However, Williams led Chicago on two quick scoring drives—with a successful onside kick sandwiched in between—to tie the game at 27.

In the extra period, however, Williams and the Bears were unable to take advantage of winning the coin toss, going three-and-out. Darnold subsequently led the Vikings down the field to set up the game-winning field goal.

Both quarterbacks had strong statistical days, with each passing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. Former USC wide receiver Jordan Addison also had a big afternoon, catching eight passes for 162 yard and a touchdown.

This marked the first of two meetings between Darnold’s Vikings and Williams’s Bears this season. The two teams will meet again in Minnesota on December 16 in front of a national television audience on Monday Night Football.

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Two Vikings nominated for FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week

Following the thrilling win over the Bears, two Vikings are nominated to win Player of the Week.

After the Vikings’ thrilling overtime win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, two Minnesota players have been nominated for the FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week for fans to vote on.

Quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Jordan Addison are up for the vote in their respective categories. Contending with the two Vikings are Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa, Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, and Packers’ Josh Jacobs.

Darnold was 22-of-34 for 330 yards and two scores during the win over the Bears. He helped orchestrate several scoring drives and made crucial throws in the late going to give the Vikings a chance to win the game.

His favorite target in the afternoon was Addison. The second-year receiver hauled in eight catches for 162 yards and a score. With Justin Jefferson having an off game, Addison really stepped up and made several big-time plays for the Minnesota offense.

You can go in and vote for both Darnold and Addison to bring home the award.

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: 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.

Trojans in the NFL brought their A-games in Week 11

Tuli Tuipulotu and Amon-Ra St. Brown were the best of the best for USC in the NFL this past weekend. Trojans are showing out on the pro football stage.

On Saturday, the current USC team took care of business against Nebraska, holding on for a 28-20 victory. On Sunday, numerous former USC players showed out for their respective NFL teams. Let’s take a look at some of the top performances by Trojans in the NFL from Week 11.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

The Detroit Lions’ superstar wide receiver caught 11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 52-6 blowout of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Talk about a monster day.

Tuli Tuipulotu

In a primetime showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Los Angeles Chargers’ young defensive lineman was more than ready for the moment. Tuli Tuipulotu had 1.5 sacks of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in a 34-27 LA win.

Sam Darnold

After a few rough weeks, Darnold bounced back on Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings quarterback completed 20 of his 32 pass attempts for 246 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans.

On the receiving end of one of Darnold’s TDs was Jordan Addison. The second year wideout caught three passes for 61 yards and a score in Minnesota’s win.

Drake London

It was a rough afternoon for the Atlanta Falcons, who suffered a 38-6 blowout loss to the Broncos in Denver. But London still had a solid day, catching three passes for 61 yards.

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Jordan Addison injury vs. Titans: Latest news on Vikings WR

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison left Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans in the fourth quarter with cramping issues.

The Minnesota Vikings have had somewhat of a bounce-back game on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Quarterback Sam Darnold has made some big plays with his arm and legs, making several key scrambles to extend plays and keep the Vikings’ offense moving.

That offense has been running more smoothly than we’ve seen in weeks, and one of the key contributors to that has been wide receiver Jordan Addison. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Addison left the game in the fourth quarter with some cramping issues and will likely be out for the rest of the game.

Jordan Addison injury update

It’s unfortunate for the Vikings’ offense to have to operate without one of their key playmakers for the rest of the fourth quarter. According to the CBS broadcast crew, Addison is officially designated as questionable to return with cramps.

How long will Addison be out?

While Addison is being called questionable to return to the game, the Vikings are up 10 with less than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Vikings’ defense has held up well, and gave the ball back to the offense. Minnesota will likely play it safe with Addison and keep him on the sidelines for the rest of the game.

On the positive side, cramps are a temporary issue, and Addison should be fine for next week’s game against the Chicago Bears.

Vikings wide receiver depth chart

With Addison on the sidelines, the Vikings will likely look more toward Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell. Both receivers have already had their name called several times in the fourth quarter. Nailor just missed a touchdown catch, while Powell made a nice catch over the middle that was initially called incomplete but overturned after a challenge by head coach Kevin O’Connell.