Start the rookie? Start the possibly-compromised veteran? Tough choice.
Jordan Love was limited in practice on Wednesday, thought it appears many in the industry believe he’s ramping up for a return to face the Vikings in the upcoming Week 4 showdown.
It’s not terribly surprising — against some lesser opponents, the Packers wisely stayed away from Love and got solid performances from fill-in starter Malik Willis. Now, with Love (we think) primed to come back, the Packers seem to be in good shape at quarterback heading into a big week for both teams looking to assert their dominance in the NFC North.
Love limited in Wednesday’s practice
But is there a consensus of what the Packers should do?
The reason I ask is that I’m wondering how close Love should be/will be to 100 percent if he’s going to play on Sunday.
The Vikings defense has taken no prisoners this season, and putting Love in the way of undue risk when Willis has played capably might seem unwise.
By the same token, Willis very clearly isn’t as good as Love even with his recent emergence. Young quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy — in another stratosphere among young quarterbacks than Willis, whose Titans tenure was star-crossed to say the least — were flummoxed by Brian Flores’ defense.
Why would Willis be any different?
I fully expect Love to play, but I think it’s at least something to monitor as the week goes on.
J.T. O’Sullivan, a former NFL quarterback who was with the Vikings for about a half-hour in 2005, runs a popular YouTube channel called “The QB School” and this week he took a deep dive into Sam Darnold’s performance against the Texas.
Unsurprisingly, O’Sullivan is a tough grader but generally positive with regard to Darnold’s performance. He does note early on that he’d like to see Darnold not try not to do too much, which can result in quasi-boneheaded, turnover-worthy plays when they just aren’t necessary to even attempt.
Sam Darnold Week 3 vs the Texans Analysis (The QB School)
He also had a really good look at the touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson, and how he thought Darnold should have let ‘er rip earlier in the play to Jefferson. With that said, we’ve seen the Pro Football Focus grades on the Vikings’ pass blocking this season — 60.3, 23rd in the NFL as of this writing — and that also played a factor in the play, as Darnold had to evade a rush and was flushed out of the pocket on the play.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Matthew Coller has a piece over on Purple Insider that really goes in-depth with how the pass rush begins — and in some respects I think, ends — with first-year Viking Jonathan Greenard.
The Vikings pass rush begins with Jonathan Greenard
I think that’s the sort of thing that I took for granted. Like yeah, I suspected Dallas Turner would play a sizable role and I expected that Greenard would play a huge part, but if you viewed him in the vein of having to replace Danielle Hunter, it was hard to imagine he’d have the same effect.
I think through three weeks, it’s been at least worth talking about. Coller dives into that here.
I don’t know if I’m alone on this, but I love Luke Braun’s film breakdowns. In this edition over on Wide Left — Arif Hasan’s Substack — he breaks down each sack so far this season individually.
Luke Braun’s Film Room: Sacks Are A Minnesota Vikings Stat (sub req’d for full access)
And while you have to pay for full access to the article, I think the paywall break gives a good indication of what readers are getting into if they subscribe. Arif’s work alone is worth the price of admission, but adding Braun periodically is cherry on the top of this Sunday sundae.
One writer whose work I’ve grown to enjoy is Bert Bledso over at Zone Coverage. His assertion punches you in the mouth at the start like a defensive back in the first five yards: “The Minnesota Vikings’ 3-0 start is not a fluke. In the offseason, Vegas had the Vikings winning approximately 6.5 games. Well, we’re three games in, and most of the experts look like fools.”
The Vikings Have Proven They’re No Fluke
But Bledso backs it up with a bevy of film evidence not only showing pass-rushing stuff, but coverage and also a look at a couple of plays where he declares “What the hell, Sam?!”
Good, erm, coverage here.
Also at Zone Coverage, I took a look ahead at their Packers section to try get an early vibe for the weekend. Luke Sims has a nice breakdown of what elements Willis brought to the offense for the Packers in his two starts, helping stem the tide of what appeared to be a catastrophic knee injury for Love, at first.
Malik Willis Gave the Packers Some Breathing Room
In may ways, Willis’ performance shows that some environments are just more QB-friendly — Matt LaFleur’s Packers, Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings — than others (hello Carolina, Tennesee, etc).
In the news
- The NFL announced on Wednesday that Jonathan Greenard was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 3. Greenard sacked former teammate C.J. Stroud three times, and added four tackles. Greenard had three of Minnesota’s five sacks on the day, and is the first Vikings player to win NFC Defensive Player of the Week since Ivan Pace Jr. did so in Week 14 last season.
- From Wednesday’s practice report, the following Vikings did not practice: Garrett Bradbury, Ivan Pace Jr. and Jay Ward. The following Vikings were limited: Jordan Addison, Jonathan Bullard, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Josh Oliver and Dallas Turner. Sam Darnold was listed as a full participant.
- Jordan Morgan did not practice for Green Bay. The following Packers were limited: Jaire Alexander, Kenny Clark, Elgton Jenkins (rest), Tucker Kraft, Jordan Love, Luke Musgrave, Josh Myers, Jayden Reed, Zach Tom and Carrington Valentine.
- Kevin Harlan and Trent Green will have the call on Sunday for the Vikings-Packers game on CBS. Related: I always have felt like CBS was more of an AFC game station, yet the Vikings keep ending up on there. Oh well.
- Adam Thielen’s hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve will not require surgery, according to head coach Dave Canales (via Joe Person). Thielen will miss a minimum of four weeks.
- Morgan Moses, who went down with a knee issue on Sunday, will miss some time but won’t be placed on injured reserve. The offensive tackle is a pivotal part of a Jets offensive line who’ll face the Vikings one week from Sunday.
- Also looking forward, Lions center Frank Ragnow partially tore his pec against the Cardinals but wants to keep playing. That sounds awful. Ragnow played high school football at Chanhassen, for those unaware.
- Jason Peters visited with the Seahawks today. There isn’t really a Vikings angle — but the dude is 42! It would be insane if he played even a single snap.
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