Tag: Minnesota Vikings

Former Viking Jared Allen named Pro Football HoF semi-finalist

The former Minnesota Viking legend is on the short list to become a hall of famer.

Former Minnesota star defensive end Jared Allen, who played for the Vikings from 2008 to 2013, was one of 25 players who became semifinalists for the 2025 Hall of Fame class.

Allen came to the Vikings from the Kansas City Chiefs where he started his career. He played for the Chiefs from 2004-2007. After he left Minnesota, he played two seasons with the Chicago Bears before playing one final season with the Carolina Panthers.

Allen is considered one of the greatest players ever to wear Purple and Gold. He finished his Minnesota career with 85.5 sacks, which ranks fourth in franchise history. In 2011, he led the entire league with 22 sacks, which is a single-season Vikings franchise record. In that season he finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Terrell Suggs.

Allen’s 136 career sacks rank 12th in NFL history. During his time in the league, he was named to five Pro Bowls. It seems like a matter of time before Allen gets his gold jacket.

Kevin O’Connell stands atop the 2022 NFL head coach class

On Sunday, during their NFL broadcast, the NFL on CBS shared a graphic showcasing all the coaching hires from that cycle.

New NFL head coaches are hired every year, and they come into the fold bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. They expect to turn their new teams around immediately, and while some do find success, others do not. In 2022, we saw a whopping 10 new head coaches hired.

Kevin O’Connell is head and shoulders above the rest despite all the competition.

On Sunday, during their NFL broadcast, the NFL on CBS shared a graphic showcasing all the coaching hires from that cycle. Of the 10 hires, Dennis Allen, Nathaniel Hackett, Lovie Smith, and Josh McDaniels have already been fired. Three other hires from the cycle, Brian Daboll, Doug Pederson, and Matt Eberflus are on hot seats and could be fired this season of after the season.

Of the successful coaches, Todd Bowles, Mike McDaniel, and O’Connell, Minnesota’s hire stands above the rest. His winning percentage of .628 and 27 overall wins have him pacing well above his classmates.

This should make Vikings fans realize just how good they got it when they hired the former NFL quarterback turned offensive coordinator.

2025 draft prospects make Ohio-Toledo worth watching for Vikings fans

On Wednesday night, Toledo faces the Ohio Bobcats and their defense has two players who could be nice fits for the Vikings.

The 2025 NFL Draft is going to be critical for the Minnesota Vikings’ long-term success. They don’t have many picks in the draft, which means each one needs to be spent on a player who could make a difference in some form or fashion.

On Wednesday night, Toledo faces the Ohio Bobcats and their defense has two players who could be nice fits for the Vikings.

On their defensive line, they have Darius Alexander, a Senior and difference-maker up front. He does a good job of using leverage to get into the backfield and has the instincts to be a reliable run stuffer. He has 27 tackles, six tackles for a loss, and two and a half sacks.

In secondary school, they have Maxen Hook, a playmaking safety for their defense. Hook has set a career-high in tackles in just ten games, with 87 so far, while also adding two tackles for a loss and two forced turnovers.

Both won’t be very high draft picks, but they could be fun pieces drafted on day three of the draft with whom Brian Flores uses strategically.

Updated Vikings playoff and division odds following Week 11

ESPN has released its updated playoff predictors, and the Vikings are starting to feel comfortable about the playoffs. 

The Minnesota Vikings sit on the season with an 8-2 record through 11 weeks of the season. The team is playing like one of the best in the NFL, not just the NFC, but what are their chances for the playoffs and winning the division?

ESPN has released its updated playoff predictors, and the Vikings are starting to feel comfortable about the playoffs.

ESPN currently has the Vikings’ playoff chances at 95% to make them. Barring a collapse of epic proportions; they are set for the playoffs. However, their odds of winning the division sit at just 10% so that is a bit of an uphill climb for Minnesota.

Some other interesting odds that they included were for the team to earn a Bye Week (7%) and to make the Super Bowl (11%). Both are pretty far-fetched for the team, but they are fun to monitor. With so many division games down the stretch for this team, starting this weekend with the Bears, things are likely to change.

Vikings’ Pat Jones II is setting himself up for massive payday in 2025

If the Vikings decide they cannot afford him, edge rusher Pat Jones II has earned himself a massive payday somewhere in 2025.

The Vikings’ defense has played a major role in their success in 2024. Brian Flores’s schemes for packages and pressure have him being considered for a head coaching job in 2025, but he isn’t the only one who may get a chance elsewhere.

If the Vikings decide they cannot afford him, edge rusher Pat Jones II has earned himself a massive payday somewhere in 2025.

The Vikings pass rusher has taken his time developing, but he is in his fourth year in the NFL. Entering this year, he had just five sacks in his career, but through ten games in 2024, he has seven. He has a chance to add to that total with seven games left on the schedule, and that is where he can parlay it into a bigger contract.

With the draft of Dallas Turner, the team isn’t likely to want to pay him that much or for the long term. Instead, his potential departure just means that Dallas Turner should see a jump in performance in 2025.

Would it make sense for Daniel Jones to be a Viking in 2025?

That raises the question: Would another reclamation project make sense for the Vikings?

The Minnesota Vikings signed Sam Darnold this offseason as a bridge option to start while they developed a rookie quarterback. The team secured the rookie, J.J. McCarthy, and everyone expected him to be the guy with Darnold having such low expectations.

What happened with Sam Darnold was that he played like a completely different player, and Kevin O’Connell got a lot of the credit for that. That raises the question: Would another reclamation project make sense for the Vikings?

The Giants announced they were benching Daniel Jones after his shaky efficiency and 24-44-1 record as a starter. He has the physical tools but never quite developed the mental ones to achieve much with the Giants.

The team isn’t likely to retain Sam Darnold, considering the contract he has likely earned himself, but replacing him with Jones to back McCarthy could work. For Jones, who better to work with than the guy who turned Sam Darnold into a fringe MVP candidate through the first five weeks of the season?

This could be a fun idea for all parties involved.

Titans’ Mike Brown ‘even Vikings players knew it was a bad call’

Tennessee Titans safety Mike Brown shares his thoughts on the penalty that could have changed the game.

The Tennessee Titans are recovering from their 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday while many fans across the league continue to figure out how Clete Blakeman’s officiating crew could be so bad.

Many on and off the field were upset with the egregious call, but for safety Mike Brown, it was business as usual and he moved to make an impact. After the game, Brown talked about the play. 

“I tried to make a play, but the referees thought different,” Brown said about the hit and the subsequent penalty. “No, I did hear any explanation. My teammates on the sideline said good play. They didn’t think it was a flag, but the referees think it’s a flag. Not much you can do once the referees do a flag.”

From the comments, the fact that Brown did not receive any explanation is troubling. Especially considering that Blakeman has doubled-down on the legitimacy of the call after the game. If it was truly unnecessary roughness or a players’ safety measure, why no explanation? 

“Some of the players from Minnesota that I know came up to me and thought it was a bad call,” Brown pointed out later in that media availability.

The fact that coaches, fans, and even opposing players in Nissan Stadium knew it was a bad call, and Blakeman could not own up to the mistake even after the game is a problem. Sure the league office will likely apologize later in the week, but real time accountability is needed and in this case would be justified. 

The Titans will take on the Houston Texans in Week 12 action and there is likely hope that Clete Blakeman and his crew are nowhere near the stadium. 

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NFC North watch: Recapping the Lions division in Week 11

NFC North watch: Recapping the Lions division in Week 11 including a thriller between the Bears and Packers

A look around the NFC North and their matchups

Detroit Lions

In what seemed to be a lopsided matchup, the Jaguars looked to pull an upset against the Lions. 

Jacksonville started the game with the ball and got down the field just enough for kicker Cam Little to kick a 59-yard field goal. The lead would not stand for very long though, as Detroit would score a touchdown on every single one of their possessions in the first half. The Jaguars would tack on another field goal, but they were in a huge 28-6 deficit going into the half.

After that, it was more the same as Jacksonville would not score another point and were plagued by a Mac Jones interception and a turnover on downs. The Lions, on the other hand, continued their touchdown streak, scoring one on every possession except for the last drive, where they settled for a field goal. Detroit put on another sensational offensive performance and won the game 52-6. 

The Lions continue their dominance and remain on top of not only the division, but the NFC as well. They will travel to Indianapolis next week to take on the Colts. 

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings looked to get their groove back against the struggling Titans. 

Minnesota began the game with a fumble that set up for a Tennessee field goal for the first points of the game. That being said, the Vikings owned the rest of the half and would follow the mistake up with a three-play touchdown drive to reclaim the lead. That would then be followed by a methodical touchdown drive and a field goal, taking the 16-3 lead at the half. After the half, the Titans’ defense started giving Minnesota problems, forcing two straight punts and having a 3-play touchdown drive of their own, closing the gap 16-10. The Vikings would end up getting those points back on the very next drive, followed by yet another Tennessee field goal. The Titans’ defense looked stellar but their offense scuffled. The next three drives consisted of two turnovers on downs and an interception, and they could not close the gap, losing the game 23-13. 

Minnesota keeps the number two spot in the conference but will need to clean up their mistakes going into their next game against the Bears. 

Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears

The two conference rivals met for the first time this season after both of them took losses in their last game. 

Out of the gate, both teams were very strong on offense, getting points on the board in their first possessions. After the Packers picked off Jordan Love in the red zone, the Bears marched their way down the field and punched in a one-yard touchdown. Finding themselves on top, 10-7 going into the half. After Chicago kicked a 27 yard field goal, both teams scored a touchdown, leaving Green Bay in a 19-14 deficit. With 4:17 left in the fourth quarter, the Bears needed a touchdown to take the lead. Love threw a deep ball to Christian Watson for 60 yards and the very next play it was punched in for the touchdown, the Packers led 20-19. Chicago had a little under three minutes to get a field goal to win the game. After getting down into Green Bay territory, Cairo Santos was set to kick a 46-yard field goal, but it would end up being blocked, sealing the victory for the Packers.

Green Bay improves to 7-3 and sits at third in the division, while the Bears remain in last place with a 4-6 record. Next week, the Packers will head back home and face the San Francisco 49ers, while Chicago will take on division rival, Minnesota Vikings.

 

Titans-Vikings Week 11: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The Tennessee Titans lost their Week 11 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The Tennessee Titans lost their second straight game on Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium, falling to the Minnesota Vikings, 23-13.

The loss dropped the Titans to 2-8 on the season and that’s not even the worst frustration. Rather, that’s aimed at NFL officials who made one of their worst calls — perhaps even the worst call — of the entire regular season.

That will obviously be widely discussed this week but before we look ahead, we’ll quickly look back.

Now let’s take a closer look at the snap counts that contributed to the Titans’ Week 11 loss.

Offensive snaps: 59
Defensive snaps: 73
Special teams snaps: 26

The Titans saw a change at right tackle with Nicholas Petit-Frere being benched mid-series in favor of Isaiah Prince, who ended up taking 49 percent of the offensive snaps. It’s safe to assume that Petit-Frere’s starting days are over. He may have even played his last snap for the Titans period.

There was also a notable rotation on defense — something the Titans have largely avoided this season. While it was still a bit top-heavy, there weren’t six or seven players taking 100 percent of the snaps.

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NFL officials double down on incompetence after Titans game

Referee Clint Blakeman doubled-down on the penalty that sent shockwaves throughout Nissan Stadium and the Tennessee Titans’ fanbase.

The Tennessee Titans took on more than the Minnesota Vikings during Week 11, as they took on the officials as well. 

The Titans did not pay attention to detail and played a sloppy game overall, but some of the 13 penalties and 93 penalty yards were questionable at best. In fact, every Vikings touchdown drive was influenced mightily by the officials and their objectively incorrect calls. 

No call was more egregious than the fourth-down unnecessary roughness call on Mike Brown in the end zone. Not only did it allow the Vikings to get a new set of downs and eventually a touchdown, but it caused outrage throughout the fan base and again brought the officiating debacle into the spotlight, 

As the replay showed, Brown made a tremendous and legal play to separate the ball from Jordan Addison. He did not launch himself into the receiver. He made a clean defensive play. It is understandable that the officials approach the game with caution, but in a play of this magnitude, one has to ask if the officials have a complete understanding of the rules of the game. 

For head referee Clete Blakeman, who clearly does not understand the rule, here it is.

Article 9, Section b, Subsection 3 of the 2024 NFL Rulebook defines the term: “It is an illegal launch if a player (i) leaves one or both feet prior to contact to spring forward and upward into his opponent, and (ii) uses any part of his helmet to initiate forcible contact against any part of his opponent’s body.”

Brown did not launch himself at Addison or initiate contact with his helmet. It was a terrible call, and to make things worse for fans, Blakeman doubled down on his interpretation of the rule during a post-game press availability. 


The NFL is a multi-billion dollar entity and should have better officials across the league or a transparent grading system that holds officials accountable for making improper game-changing calls. Today, Titans fans are upset, but this is not just a Titans problem; it is a huge blunder for the league because these signs of incompetence occur every week. 

The Titans were sloppy and could have played better, but their fate was in the hands of an officiating crew that clearly needed extra training and a better understanding of the rulebook.

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