Tag: ty chandler

Alexander Mattison expected to play Sunday vs. Lions

Mattison will play on Sunday despite not being 100%

After suffering an ankle injury against the Las Vegas Raiders in week 14, Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison is on track to play on Sunday afternoon against the Detroit Lions. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Mattison is expected to play.

What was also mentioned by Pelissero is that Mattison isn’t 100% and “expect the Vikings to ride Ty Chandler.”

After Chandler’s performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s no surprise that the Vikings will be giving him a lot of touches. He has shown himself to be a really explosive back and has grown a lot this season with his vision and consistency.

The Vikings and Lions kick off at noon CST.

Vikings vs. Lions: 4 offensive keys in week 16

These keys are pivotal for the Vikings offense to succeed and get the win over the Lions

The Minnesota Vikings return to U.S. Bank Stadium for a pivotal divisional matchup against the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions.

As the playoffs inch closer, both teams are fighting for a spot in the dance while trying to gain much-needed momentum to bring with them past the conclusion of the regular season. 

The Lions still have a scenario available where they can take the number-one seed in the conference and get that coveted first-round bye week. The Vikings are just fighting for a spot with an outside shot at the NFC North division title. With the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the New Orleans Saints, the Vikings hold the seventh seed and currently have a 52% chance of making the playoffs, according to NFL.com.

The Lions defense has been an up-and-down unit this season. They’re a young unit with good pieces to build their future with, such as linebacker Jack Campbell and nickel Brian Branch. They’re a unit that is stout against the run. Despite seeing the 12th most rushing attempts, they’ve allowed the eighth-fewest rushing yards.

The Minnesota offense has also been an up-and-down unit as they sort out the quarterback position down the stretch of this season. Nick Mullens came in for his first start last week and had some positive moments, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Cincinnati’s comeback bid last Saturday.

The Vikings have no choice but to keep winning if they want to hold on to their playoff spot. To do that the offense will have to follow these four keys to success against Detroit’s defense.

Vikings vs. Lions: 4 storylines to watch in Week 16

These storlylines are worth watching as the Vikings take on the Lions this Sunday

The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Detroit Lions in the second annual winter whiteout on Christmas Eve in week 16.

During the Vikings 7-7 campaign, they have dealt with a myriad of injuries and struggles throughout the year. From losing star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to starting four quarterbacks due to injuries and poor play, it’s been an excellent coaching job from both Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.

They still face an uphill battle if they want to win the NFC North. Just one Vikings loss or Lions win will give Detroit their first division title since 1993 when it was the NFC North.

During Sunday’s game against the Lions, these storylines will be pivotal to watch.

Purple Access: Can Vikings defense carry them to the playoffs?

The latest episode of Purple Access discusses the Minnesota Vikings new struggles on defense and if Nick Mullens has a leash.

The Minnesota Vikings are in an interesting situation with just three games left. They are 7-7 with a chance to both in the NFC North and make the playoffs as a wild card.

What happened to the Vikings defense? They were a dominant force but were taken advantage of by the Cincinnati Bengals. How did that happen? Can it be fixed?

Nick Mullens also struggled at times as the starting quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals. He did, however, play really well and was making throws with anticipation. What kind of leash will he be on moving forward?

Lastly, Ty Chandler finally got the opportunity to start for the Vikings at running back and he took advantage of it with a big game. Why did it take so long for him to get this kind of opportunity?

All of that and more on the latest episode of Purple Access on the Purple Daily YouTube channel.

Vikings vs. Lions: 4 players to watch in Week 16

These Minnesota Vikings players will need to have a big game to secure a win against the Detroit Lions

The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Detroit Lions in the second annual winter whiteout on Christmas Eve in week 16.

During the Vikings 7-7 campaign, they have dealt with a myriad of injuries and struggles throughout the year. From losing star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to starting four quarterbacks due to injuries and poor play, it’s been an excellent coaching job from both Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.

They still face an uphill battle if they want to win the NFC North. Just one Vikings loss or Lions win will give Detroit their first division title since 1993 when it was the NFC North.

If the Vikings want to win, they will need some big-time performances from these players.

Zulgad’s four-and-out: Could miscues cost Nick Mullens his job and is Ty Chandler RB1?

Judd Zulgad breaks down multiple Minnesota Vikings storylines, including miscues with Nick Mullens and Ty Chandler as RB1.

Nick Mullens became the fourth starting quarterback this season for the Minnesota Vikings when he took over last Saturday for an overtime loss in Cincinnati.

Despite throwing two crucial interceptions in Bengals’ territory in the opening half, coach Kevin O’Connell said he saw enough to stick with the veteran for Sunday’s game against Detroit.

But is there anything that could change that? Let’s examine that issue, and a few others, in this edition of four-and-out.

Did Ty Chandler’s Sunday outburst burst him to top of Vikings’ RB room?

Former Tar Heel Ty Chandler’s Sunday explosion proved he should be the Minnesota Vikings’ top running back going forward.

Former UNC running back Ty Chandler’s Sunday afternoon performance nearly helped the Minnesota Vikings win a crucial, playoff-feel clash against the Cincinnati Bengals.

There was concern in Minnesota’s locker room when, during the week, it was announced typical starter Alexander Mattison would miss the Bengals game with an ankle injury. He’d been enjoying a decent season in terms of yardage, rushing for 660 yards across 13 game, but with no touchdowns.

With Mattison out against the Bengals, in stepped Chandler. Vikings fans hoped for a decent game, but what Chandler did gives him serious RB1 consideration going forward.

Chandler exploded for a career-best 132 rushing yards and his second NFL touchdown, almost adding a third before being tackled near the goal line.

This was just Chandler’s fourth game with double-digit carries and 10th overall, but he already has two more touchdowns than his backfield counterpart.

With Chandler’s outburst, which nearly single-handedly gave Minnesota a key victory in its chase for a postseason berth, should he be the new RB1?

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, while not committing to a starter, said Chandler will definitely receive a significant increase in carries going forward.

“There’s no question that I thought Ty had a huge role and impact on the game the other day,” O’Connell told Heavy Sports. “Ty is absolutely a guy that is going to continue to see a featured role in our offense. What that looks like moving forward, as far as who gets the first touch of the game and all those things, we’ll continue to kind of work through based upon what we’re attempting to do scheme-wise.”

This type of production might come as a shock to NFL fans, but it’s the type of production Tar Heel Nation fell in love with during the 2021 UNC football season.

Chandler joined a long list of 1,000-yard rushers in the Carolina record books, totaling 1,092 yards as the Tar Heels ended their 6-7 campaign in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Chandler’s best game came on Nov. 6, 2021 against Wake Forest, as he ran for a season-best 213 yards and four touchdowns.

If you have a Minnesota Vikings game on TV at any future point this season, there’s a good chance you’ll see a lot of Ty Chandler.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

7 plays highlight Ty Chandler’s breakout performance vs. Bengals

Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler got his opportunity to start on Saturday. These plays agaisnt the Bengals highlight his breakout

The Minnesota Vikings didn’t have the strongest group at running back going into the year but there was always a path forward in terms of development.

Alexander Matison entered the season as the top running back for the Vikings. The fifth-year running back had started six games in his tenure with the Vikings and averaged 79.5 YPG with three total touchdowns across those starts.

This season, he hasn’t been able to take a step forward and a high ankle sprain suffered against the Las Vegas Raiders opened up the door for second-year running back Ty Chandler.

Chandler, who happens to be slightly older than Mattison, was a very explosive player in college once he got the opportunity at North Carolina. The little things were what was holding him back. Poor vision on zone concepts and struggling to be consistent in pass blocking was part of the reason why the Vikings traded for Cam Akers in September.

Agaisnt the Cincinnati Bengals, Chandler got the opportunity to be the lead back and he took it by the horns and looked like the best player in the running back room. These seven plays highlight how well he played and why he should be the guy moving forward.

Best Fantasy Football waiver wire pickups for Week 16

Here are some waiver wire options for fantasy this week.

After the 15th full slate of regular season action, nearly every fantasy football league should be in their playoffs.

If you had a tough injury in Week 15, or you just didn’t get the production from one of your players that you expected, we’ll scan the waiver wire. For potential pickups, we’ll consider players who are available in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Let’s take a look at some of the potential waiver wire pickups that could help your teams heading into Week 16 of the NFL campaign.

Mattison to return to practice, Chandler to see ‘featured role’

O’Connell spoke highly of Ty Chandler while saying Alexander Mattison is returning to practice

The running back position is one that the Minnesota Vikings haven’t been very strong at this season. Ty Chandler stepped up in a big way against the Cincinnati Bengals with the team’s first 100-yard rushing performance since week 10 of 2022.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell said that Alexander Mattison will look toward re-joining practice this week but was uncertain on who would start this Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

The interesting thing that O’Connell did say was that Chandler “is absolutely a guy that is going to see a featured role in our offense.” What does that mean? That’s hard to say for certain.

O’Connell has split time between using one back as a bell cow and splitting the snaps between multiple players. How O’Connell approaches things moving forward will be interesting to see. It is clear that Chandler is going to be getting more touches, which is well-earned.

This week, it will likely be Chandler with the injury to Mattison, but it will be a storyline to follow throughout the week.

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