Tag: Najee Thompson

NaJee Thompson questionable to return

Brutal blow to the Vikings special teams

The injuries keep coming for the Minnesota Vikings. Cornerback and special teams maven NaJee Thompson is questionable to return with a knee injury.

Thompson has been a dynamo on special teams for the Vikings making numerous big plays in punt coverage throughout the season. The undrafted rookie out of Georgia Southern has been excellent on special teams all season long.

We will monitor Thompson’s status throughout the game.

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Studs and duds from Vikings 33-10 loss vs. Packers

The Minnesota Vikings fell 33-10 to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night and the duds massively outnumbered the studs.

The Minnesota Vikings struggled mightily on Sunday night by losing to their NFC North rival Green Bay Packers by a score of 33-10.

It wasn’t just the score that was bad for the Vikings, the performances across the team were brutal.

The coaching was bad.

The offense was bad.

The defense was bad.

Special teams was relatively fine, especially the punt coverage.

When you have to go to the punt coverage unit to find a unit that played relative well, that’s not a good sign. With the loss, the Vikings no longer control their own destiny with the playoffs.

The studs and duds are not very positive on Sunday night and it’s stark at how poor things were.

Stock up, stock down in 33-10 loss vs. Packers

Plenty of stocks fell, while others went up during the 33-10 loss against the Packers.

Flat. Unprepared. Disappointing.

The Green Bay Packers came into U.S. Bank Stadium and kicked the Minnesota Vikings’ playoff hopes into a ravine by a score of 33-10.

There are usually a few positives that can be found in even the worst of performances from this season. Not this one. This was bad from beginning to end.

The defense looked unprepared for the Packers’ game plan and wasn’t able to adapt. The offense looked as disjointed as they have this season after the Kirk Cousins injury.

While searching for any semblance of a positive, there will be plenty of negatives to point out from an overall perspective.

Kevin O’Connell takes accountability for disappointing performance

Kevin O’Connell took accountability for Minnesota’s subpar performance against the Green Bay Packers.

After a lifeless 33-10 beating to a hated divisional rival, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell took accountability for his staff’s subpar showing on primetime in his postgame press conference.

“I’ll look at how we prepared, I’ll look at what our plan was, get with the coordinators in all three phases, and talk about areas where we could have been better as a coaching staff and where we could have better put the plan together to ultimately see where did the failure happen. Was it the play calls? Was it the technique and fundamentals? Was it ownership of the plan? You have to take inventory on it. It’s not an easy process, it’s not a fun process but we as a coaching staff, starting with me, have to have the accountability and ownership…”

Sunday night was an embarrassing showing, made even more so when understanding the stakes involved. Win this game, and the playoffs are in your hands as you take on the Detroit Lions next week. Lose it, and you’re at the mercy of up to five different outcomes to continue the journey this season.

O’Connell is taking ownership and that’s what’s necessary with a performance like this one. His team was woefully unprepared when LaFleur’s game plan came to fruition on both sides of the football, the only bright spot coming from a three-play sequence that started with the effort from Najee Thompson. Outside of that, the performance was stiff and spiritless. It’s back to the drawing board for Minnesota as they look to play spoiler and take one last gasp at the postseason.

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Johnny Mundt scores TD after Najee Thompson recovery

Johnny Mundt scores his first touchdown of the season after a crucial Najee Thompson fumble recovery.

A spark, perhaps?

Johnny Mundt finds his way into the end zone from six yards out for his first touchdown this season, and to get the Minnesota Vikings their first touchdown against the Green Bay Packers tonight.

In a game that has been over since Kirk Cousins blew the Gjallarhorn to start, Minnesota was searching for any kind of spark to work off. They got it with a fumble recovery off a muffed punt from special teams extraordinaire Najee Thompson.

Two plays later, Mundt takes the ball into the end zone to pull the game to 30-10.

The defense has been getting gashed and the offense has been as discombobulated as they have looked since Cousins left in week eight. With all of this turmoil, Thompson is still burning downfield, waiting for an opportunity to give the team a much-needed spark. While it may not mean anything in the result of this game, it is a sign that there is still a bit of fight left in these Vikings, regardless of the score.

Stay tuned to Vikings Wire for more live game updates.

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Vikings CB NaJee Thompson arrives in wolf costume

NaJee Thompson of Vikings must think it is about to be a howl-iday

Minnesota Vikings cornerback NaJee Thompson was ready for action on Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings faced the Detroit Lions in a key NFC North matchup.

He was ready to howl against the roar of the Lions.

That had to be the case as Thompson arrived for the game in a full wolf costume.

Vikings initial injury report includes Justin Jefferson

The initial injury report for the Minnesota Vikings game against the Las Vegas Raiders includes Justin Jefferson.

The Minnesota Vikings listed six players on their initial injury report for week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

  • S Theo Jackson (illness): Did not practice
  • RB Kene Nwangwu (concussion): Limited
  • CB NaJee Thompson (knee): Limited
  • NT Khyiris Tonga (knee): Full
  • CB Akayleb Evans (calf): Full
  • WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring): Full

The good news here is both Jefferson and Evans are not just practicing in full after the bye week, but they are also on track to return against the Raiders.

On the same accord, Tonga is still practicing in full with his knee injury. He hasn’t missed any time, but it’s noteworthy.

Both Thompson and Nwangwu’s injuries are new and noteworthy. We will learn more throughout the rest of the week. If they don’t play, it would be a massive blow to special teams.

Jackson out with an illness could be a myriad of things. It’s not a good thing to be out with an illness. Considering Lewis Cine is now off the injury report, it could be a sign that Cine will get some playing time on defense.

T.J. Hockenson is off the injury report as well, meaning he is all better from his rib injury.

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Stock up, Stock down for Vikings in win vs. Saints

The Vikings held off the Saints for a big NFC victory. Saivion Mixson looks at who’s stocks rose and whose stocks fell in the pivotal win.

The Minnesota Vikings held off the New Orleans Saints for a crucial 27-19 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Vikings ended up holding off a fiery comeback attempt after starting quarterback Derek Carr went down and backup Jameis Winston lit a spark under the Saints offense.

While he also helped extinguish the flame with two late turnovers, the Vikings showed some issues that may have seen some stocks drop.

On the flip side of the coin, the explosive first half that allowed the Vikings to jump out to a 24-3 halftime lead helped some stocks rise.

In this exercise, we outline both sides of this proverbial coin, as we see whose stocks fell and whose stocks rose after this vital victory.

Vikings release inactives for Week 8 vs. Packers

The Vikings inactive list against the Green Bay Packers includes Ezra Cleveland for the second week in a row

The Minnesota Vikings have released their inactive list for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.

  • RB Kene Nwangwu (illness)
  • LG Ezra Cleveland (foot)
  • ILB Brian Asamoah II (ankle)
  • TE Nick Muse
  • OL Hakeem Adeniji
  • CB NaJee Thompson

The Vikings announced on Saturday that Nwangwu would miss the game due to an illness. He appeared on the injury report on Friday seemingly out of nowhere. The same thing happened to D.J. Wonnum before the game against the Miami Dolphins.

Cleveland is still recovering from his foot injury and with Dalton Risner’s performance, it’s a smart move to play it safe.

Muse has only suited up for one game this season but, unlike in 2022, he has been on the active roster.

Adeniji has been inactive every game since the Vikings signed him to the active roster.

Thompson is inactive for the second-consecutive game with the Vikings prioritizing depth at other positions other than a special teams ace.

Lewis Cine is active after missing the last four game with a hamstring injury. He was removed from the injury report before the game against the Chicago Bears but the Vikings still made him an inactive the last two weeks.

The Vikings and Packers kick off at noon.

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Special teams coordinator Mike Daniels praises NaJee Thompson

Ahead of his regular season debut, special teams coordinator Mike Daniels explained what makes UDFA NaJee Thompson a solid special teamer.

When the Minnesota Vikings signed NaJee Thompson as an undrafted rookie, many didn’t expect him to make the 53-man roster.

Ultimately, Thompson was a limited player. He offered little upside on offense or defense, and his only path to making the roster would be on special teams.

However, after two preseason games, it appeared that Thompson was a lock to make the roster.

During those two games, Thompson dominated as a punt gunner and finished with multiple stops to limit returns. From there, it seemed like a matter of when, not if, Thompson makes the roster.

Ahead of Thompson’s first regular season game, special teams coordinator Mike Daniels, who was partly responsible for discovering Thompson, explained how Thompson came on their radar.

““I actually found [Thompson] his junior year,” Daniels said. “When we were in draft meetings, I was speaking highly on him and he’s not even coming out this year … You kind of just do your research.

“I actually had a cousin of mine, my first cousin, that played at Georgia Southern, and he kind of mentioned him to me … So, from there, I did my research, and he was an All-American special teams player, former receiver turned corner. From there, you just turn on the tape, and he’s just flying around, flashing everywhere.” 

Thompson’s special teams film in college was a sight to behold. A track star in high school, Thompson showcased a rare blend of speed and power. His versatility on punt and kickoff teams also helped him capture the interest of NFL teams.