Tag: Minnesota Vikings

NFC playoff picture after Week 10

The Vikings and Seahawks had huge wins, while the Saints lost their first-round bye position.

The NFC playoff picture is looking a little clearer as far as who will make it, but it’s muddled as far as positioning goes.

Here’s where the NFC stands after Week 10.

First-Round Byes

49ers, 8-1
Packers, 7-2

The 49ers took a hit on Monday Night Football, losing to their division rivals. San Francisco is now only a game up for first place in the division.

The Packers hung on against the Panthers and managed to move up in the standings thanks to the Falcons stunning the Saints.

Wild Card Round

No. 6 Vikings (7-3) at No. 3 Saints (7-2)

No. 5 Seahawks (8-2) at No. 4 Cowboys (5-4)

The Vikings and Seahawks both had huge statement wins over the Cowboys and 49ers, respectively.

It should be fun when the two teams face off in Week 12 in Seattle.

Holding On . . .

Rams, 5-4
Eagles, 5-4
Panthers, 5-4
Bears, 4-5

The Eagles suddenly find themselves back in conversation in the NFC East, while the Rams and Bears play in Week 11. The loser of that game will have a pretty tough time making it back to the playoffs considering this group is already 2.5 games back.

Vikings waive WR Davion Davis

The Vikings released wide receiver Davion Davis on Tuesday. Davis was an undrafted free agent who has spent time going back and forth between the team’s active roster and practice squad. If I had to guess, the Vikings will probably try to get Davis …

The Vikings released wide receiver Davion Davis on Tuesday.

Davis was an undrafted free agent who has spent time going back and forth between the team’s active roster and practice squad.

If I had to guess, the Vikings will probably try to get Davis back on their practice squad.

The Vikings have not made a corresponding roster move, but Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press notes that it could be for Josh Doctson, who is eligible to return from the IR with a hamstring injury.

Wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) missed Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. It feels like a good bet the Vikings would rest him in Week 11 with the team having its bye in Week 12.

Vikings vs. Broncos Week 11 broadcast info

This is Minnesota’s last game before its Week 12 bye.

The 7-3 Vikings host the 3-6 Broncos in Week 11 of the NFL season at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Kickoff is set for noon CT on Nov. 17.

For those streaming, try fuboTV. You can get started here for free.

The game will air on CBS (note: not FOX). Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Jay Feely will be on the call.

For those listening locally, tune into 100.3 KFAN-FM. Paul Allen, Pete Bercich, Greg Coleman and Ben Leber will be on the call.

This is Minnesota’s last game before its Week 12 bye.

The Vikings are 7-7 all-time against the Broncos, but have lost their last three games. They go into this game as 10.5-point favorites.

Vikings open as big favorites vs. Broncos

The Vikings are 7-7 all-time against the Broncos.

The 7-3 Vikings host the 3-6 Broncos in Week 11 of the NFL season.

Per BetMGM, the Vikings have opened as 10.5-point favorites in the game. A bet on the Vikings to cover pays at -110, while a bet on the Broncos to cover also pays at -110.

A money line bet on the Vikings pays at -500, while a money line bet on the Broncos pays at +375.

The over/under for the game is 39.5. The over pays at -115, while the under pays at -106.

The Vikings are 7-7 all-time against the Broncos. Denver has won the last three games between the two teams, most recntly in 2015 when the Broncos won 23-20 in Denver behind 103 rushing yards on just 11 attempts from Ronnie Hillman.

The Vikings have a bye in Week 12.

To round out the NFC North, the

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Vikings move up spot in power rankings

The Vikings find themselves just a half-game back from a first-round bye in the NFC.

After their 28-24 win over the Cowboys on Sunday night, the Minnesota Vikings improved to 7-3 on the season.

The win bumped them up from eighth to seventh in USA TODAY’s Week 10 power rankings.

It was a big win for the Vikings, and Kirk Cousins, on primetime against a winning team.

The Vikings find themselves just a half game back from a first-round bye in the NFC.

To round out the NFC North, the Packers rank sixth, the Bears rank 21st and the Lions rank 27th.

In Week 11, the Vikings host the 3-6 Broncos. The Broncos rank 25th in the power rankings.

NFL odds: Broncos are 10.5-point underdogs vs. Vikings in Week 11

The Broncos are considered double-digit underdogs on the road against the Vikings this week.

The Denver Broncos (3-6) are considered 10.5-point underdogs on the road against the Minnesota Vikings (7-3) in Week 11, according to BetMGM. The over/under line for combined points scored between the two teams has been set at 39.5.

Before their bye last week, Denver scored 24 points in a 24-19 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 9. Minnesota scored 28 points in a 28-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday evening. That’s 52 combined points in their last games, which would be over this week’s over/under line.

The Broncos and Vikings have met 14 times in the past and the series is tied 7-7. Denver has won all of the last three meetings, including a 35-32 win in Minnesota in 2011. The Broncos are 50-45 coming off their bye over the last 10 years and will look to improve that record in Week 11.

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It sounds like Vikings CB Trae Waynes will be back vs. Broncos

The Vikings starting cornerback was held out of Sunday night’s game with an ankle injury.

The Vikings were without cornerback Trae Waynes (ankle) in Week 10 against the Cowboys in Dallas.

Minnesota won, but did have some trouble with its pass defense.

Waynes, who by no means has been great this season, is expected to be back on Sunday against the Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“Yeah, I think we will (have him back),” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday.

The Vikings have two other injuries lingering as well. Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) and nose tackle Linval Joseph (knee) both missed Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.

We don’t have a great feel on their availability quite yet, but will have a better idea this week when practices start.

It’s worth noting that the Vikings have a bye in Week 12, so if Thielen and Joseph aren’t ready to go in Week 11, they’ll have two weeks off before the team takes on the Seahawks in Week 13.

Top 5 offensive lines of Week 10: NFC North, upsets, honoring Swagger, and typical Ravens

As we slowly adjust back into reality, let’s take a look at the top 5 from Week 10.

In what could be described as a perfect spinoff to Netflix’s Stranger Things, Week 10 in the NFL was so upside down that the most-normal thing from all of the action was a dual something-or-other that might have forever changed the way uncles dance at weddings.

First, there was Dak:

And then, there was Jimmy:

Beyond that? Cleveland honored their mascot, Swagger, and his retirement from leading the Browns onto the field with an upset win over Buffalo. Aaron Rodgers caught a penalty flag—poetically, mind you—and the internet immediately shouted that such art needed to be accompanied by Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic.”

Three Heisman Trophy winners lined up in the backfield—at the same time!—during the Ravens-Bengals game. And Matthew McConaughey took the cyber streets after the incredible Monday night battle between the Seahawks and 49ers and basically wrote the dialogue for the next Lincoln commercial.

Not to be ignored or outdone—with some of the stranger credit going to Tennessee Titans’ Taylor Lewan—there were also some stellar efforts from a few the offensive lines.

As we slowly adjust back into reality, let’s take a look at the top 5 from Week 10.

5. Baltimore Ravens

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The only thing keeping the Ravens’ O-line from being ranked higher than fifth this week is the tilted-smirk realization that they played against the Cincinnati Bengals.

But when your quarterback ends the day with a perfect QB rating, and the running game totals over 130 yards and two touchdowns, it’s impossible not to give a thumbs up, either.

The Ravens’ O-line continues to be a collective force. They led the way for Jackson’s big game on the ground and they kept him protected during the pass. One penalty and one sack, with only minimal pressure from the Bengals’ rush later, and the Ravens’ front had done another standout job—regardless if some saw this game as more of an AFC North intramural session.

Marshal Yanda, Bradley Bozeman, Matt Skura, Orlando Brown, Ronnie Stanley, with a dash of Patrick Mekari and James Hurst: You don’t make the schedule, you just block—and, man-O-man, do you guys block!

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News: Cowboys wasting Dak Prescott’s greatness feels eerily familiar

Cowboys news and notes for November 12 2019.

Starting with Sunday night’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys entered what could potentially be the deciding four-game stretch of the season.  The team had an opportunity to start this stretch on a high note by defeating one of the stronger foes in the NFC.  Instead, they like so many times previously, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Cowboys have to start trusting their quarterback.  Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP caliber level and Jerry Jones knows he will command an MVP contract once the season is over.  Which is all the more reason to not waste the talent his rookie contract affords them.

Cowboys still America’s team

Death, taxes, and the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

Since 2010, the Cowboys rank first in the number of SNF contests averaging 20 million-plus viewers with 30 such games.  Whether they win or lose, people are intrigued by what happens with the Cowboys.  Both the NFL and NBC know this which is why the Cowboys are generally booked for the maximum allotment of SNF games every season.  Jerry Jones wants the focus of the sports world on the Cowboys every season, and the numbers back that up.

–CM

Cowboys Wire’s wall-to-wall coverage

Here are links to all of our in-house coverage of the loss.

— KD

Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper blast team’s lack of execution in loss to Vikings, won’t blame coaches :: CBS Sports

Our good friend Patrik Walker checks in with a great look  at what the players were saying following the tough loss.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating — definitely frustrating,” Prescott said following the game. “We had a chance, an opportunity right there at the end. A quarterback can’t ask for more — the ball in your hands, fourth down, a chance to make a throw to win the game. They made a great play. They made more plays than we did when it counted and beat us situationally.”

— KD

The Cowboys Just Need to Trust Dak Prescott :: The Ringer

Prescott carved up the Minnesota Viking defense all night.  Two of his three receivers eclipsed 100 yards receiving, and when the game was on the line the Cowboys took the ball out of his hands and put it in their $90 million running back’s instead.  Ezekiel Elliott isn’t going to take this team anywhere this season, if the Cowboys want to play football late January it’s Prescott who is going to take them where they want to go.  It’s time they started to trust him.

–CM

Dak Prescott again leads NFL in QBR Rating after Week 10

— KD

The Cowboys are wasting Dak Prescott :: The Draft Network

Prescott is proving his doubters wrong by his play so far this season and his nearly 400-yard performance against the Vikings cemented his status.

–CM

The Cowboys failed to get a statement win in a critical game vs. the Vikings, and that’s on Jason Garrett :: Dallas Morning News

A victory over the Vikings would have sent a statement to the rest of the NFL that Cowboys are for real.  Unfortunately, they stuck to an ultra-conservative philosophy of running the ball straight into the opponent, no matter the result.

–CM

Film room: 3 takeaways from Cowboys’ loss to Vikings, including an outstanding Dak Prescott performance gone to waste :: Dallas Morning News

John Owning gives his three takeaways from Sunday night’s loss.  While he also focuses on Prescott’s greatness and taking the game out of his hands, he has other areas to take to task.

Missed tackles, poor LB pursuit ruin Cowboys’ run defense

The Vikings may have finished with 36 carries for 153 rushing yards (4.3 yards per carry) and a score, but it was the 10 straight runs for 61 yards and touchdown on Minnesota’s lone touchdown drive that really broke the back of the Cowboys’ defense.

It was yet another instance of Dallas’ poor run defense setting the stage for disappointment, harking back to losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Rams from last season. The Cowboys struggled mightily at bringing down Vikings running backs on first contact. In fact, 77 of Cook’s 97 rushing yards came after contact, illustrating Dallas’ tackling issues.

— KD

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Vikings secondary needs to improve in final 6 games 

The Vikings seem to have finally gotten their signature win, but there is a critical part of Mike Zimmer’s defense that needs to improve. 

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off of their biggest win in the last two seasons, after beating the Dallas Cowboys 28-24 on Sunday Night Football. The Vikings seem to have finally gotten their signature win, but there is a critical part of Mike Zimmer’s defense that needs to improve. 

When Zimmer took over the coaching duties for the Vikings in 2014, the expectations for the defense were high. Since he took over, his defense has delivered and consistently been a top 10 unit in both points allowed per game and rushing yards allowed. Although the Vikings defense is on pace for both categories to be top 10 once again in 2019, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

The Vikings secondary is a unit with a ton of draft capital invested into it. Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Mike Hughes and Harrison Smith were all drafted in the first round.

Smith has been the rock to the Vikings defense since he was drafted in 2012, and is still the key piece in Zimmer’s defense. However, the argument can be made that the best play in the secondary thus far has come from an undrafted free agent in Anthony Harris.

The safety position has been fairly solid all around in 2019, including some strong performances from seventh rounder in Jayron Kearse.  

The position with the most draft investment on the Vikings roster has instead been one of its biggest issues. When Zimmer arrived in Minnesota, he was of course known for his great defensive mind. But he was also known for being a whisperer of the cornerback position. 

If the Vikings want to have a chance at making the playoffs and making a legitimate run, the play of the cornerbacks is going to have to improve. 

Against the Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, the defense allowed nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns through the air. The defense was without Waynes, but with their depth in the secondary, there is no room for excuses. 

Hughes had his hands full with Amari Cooper, who had 11 catches for nearly 150 yards and a touchdown. Granted a lot of Cooper’s catches were miraculous with some elite toe drags, it doesn’t change the fact that he was the second receiver in two weeks to scorch the Vikings corners. 

With so much draft stock invested in the cornerbacks room and a head coach who prides himself on grooming cornerbacks, the Vikings secondary has to be better. Rhodes has regressed drastically since his stellar season in 2017, and if it continues the Vikings have to begin to utilize Hughes and Holton Hill more frequently. 

In the final six games the secondary will get their chance to turn things around. The Vikings still have to face names like Davante Adams, Keenen Allen, Tyler Lockett, Kenny Golladay and more within the next two months. 

With so much talent at the wide receiver position today in the NFL, the Vikings secondary needs to get back on track. 

This upcoming Sunday the secondary gets their chance to do exactly that. This coming Sunday, the Vikings are back at U.S. Bank Stadium where they take on a Broncos team that ranks 28th in pass yards per game.Â